In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health

Refined carbs are bad for the heart, not fat

Scientific American reports that a meta-analysis of a couple of dozen dietary health studies reveals that processed carbs are more to blame for obesity, diabetes and heart disease than saturated fats.

In 2008 Stampfer co-authored a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that followed 322 moderately obese individuals for two years as they adopted one of three diets: a low-fat, calorie-restricted diet based on American Heart Association guidelines; a Mediterranean, restricted-calorie diet rich in vegetables and low in red meat; and a low-carbohydrate, nonrestricted-calorie diet. Although the subjects on the low-carb diet ate the most saturated fat, they ended up with the healthiest ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol and lost twice as much weight as their low-fat-eating counterparts.

Carbs against Cardio: More Evidence that Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart