Low Carb Atkins-Like Diets May Increase Risk of Heart Disease

Low-carb diets may burn the most calories, but Study Finds Heart disease linked to low-carb diets

Staff Report

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - According to a study by BMJ, a medical journal that has been around for over a hundred years, Low-carb diets may burn calories, but they may also cause heart disease for women.

ABC News wrote:

A group of European researchers led by Pagona Lagiou of the University of Athens Medical School in Greece assessed the diets of more than 43,000 Swedish women ages 30 to 49, and followed them for an average of almost 16 years. Women who consumed an Atkins-type diet with low carbohydrate and high protein intake were at a 5 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease later. By the end of the end of the study period, 1,270 women developed heart disease. Consuming as little as 20 fewer grams of carbohydrates and 5 more grams of protein per day accounted for the increase, the researchers found.

Not all studies are the same, however. For example, a Nurses' Health Study from 1991 found no association between a low-carb diet and heart disease. Other recent research, has found a link between Atkins-style diets and a higher risk of heart disease.