Lower Carb Diet Benefits Lipid Profile

Harry Hirsute · � #1 � 08-03-2008, 08:07 PM

Quote:

In a study involving 28 subjects with elevated levels of fasting triglycerides (higher than 1.69 mmol/L), adherence to a carbohydrate-restricted diet was found to improve the lipid profile of subjects more effectively than adherence to a low-fat diet, over a period of 8 weeks.

Subjects on the low-carb diet experienced a 46% reduction in small LDL cholesterol and an 18% reduction in triglycerides, compared to a 36% increase in small LDL cholesterol and a 4% increase in triglycerides experienced by subjects on the low-fat diet. The difference in triglyceride levels was not considered significant.

While weight loss was also greater among subjects on the low-carb diet (-3.8%), as compared to those on the low-fat diet (-1.6%), this difference was also not considered significant.

These results suggest that moderate restriction of carbohydrates (20% of energy from carbs) may, "promote a less atherogenic lipid profile," as compared to moderate restriction of fat.

https://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/37581

Boss · � #2 � 08-04-2008, 06:51 AM

This isn't new though. People have known for some time, a slight reduction in Carbs, will cause the body to source the rest of it's energy needs from things like Fats, because when you create a need, it will have to be fulfilled as much as possible, by whatever means possible.

Lower Carbs would almost certainly instigate some Fat usage, to fill the void or the gap so to speak, as opposed to muscle.

Unless I'm slightly misinterpreting the point of his study.

Harry Hirsute · � #3 � 08-04-2008, 12:34 PM

It's not news to you (or me). But, such research needs to be shared because there are still many doctors, nutritionists, media outlets and so on, that consider lower carbohydrate nutrition as a dangerous practice - particularly as it relates to the cardiovascular system.

Harry Hirsute · � #4 � 08-04-2008, 05:20 PM

Analysis by Dr. Michael Eades:

Quote:

It’s interesting to note that these subjects had triglyceride levels and LDL levels before starting the two diets that were not elevated by any means. The low-carb group had starting triglycerides of 144 mg/dl and starting LDL levels of 115 mg/dl. The low-fat group had triglycerides of 178 mg/dl and LDL of 114 mg/dl. Even lipophobic physicians wouldn’t consider these values as worrisome.

After eight weeks, the subjects on the low-carb diet saw their concentrations on small, dense LDL particles fall by almost half whereas those on the low-fat diet watched theirs rise from 49 mg/dl to 67 mg/dl, a 37 percent increase. If any single lipid parameter truly corresponds to a real risk for the development of heart disease, it is this one.

And it’s nice to learn that a less-than-rigid low-carb diet - even if followed loosely by people who aren’t all that motivated - halves it. Just think what would happen if these subjects really dug in and followed a more rigid low-carb diet. And these subjects didn’t have bad numbers to begin with. Imagine what might have happened had they had elevated levels of small, dense LDL particles.

Don’t ask me why, but these researchers, for whatever reason, chose to limit the saturated fat on the low-carb diet to less than 10 percent of calories. I suspect that if the saturated fat intake had been higher, we would have seen an even more pronounced lowering of the small, dense LDL. I guess even somewhat enlightened researchers just can’t bring themselves to recommend saturated fat, even for a short-term study.

As you can see from Table 2, C-reactive protein (a measure of total body inflammatory load) was substantially lowered in the low-carb group while it increased in the low-fat group. But the figures didn’t reach statistical significance due to the small number of subjects, so we can’t really make a claim here. But it does give us the tantalizing hope that were this group of subjects larger, we would have seen the same difference. I would bet money that we would.

So, we have yet one more study to add to our growing pile showing the superiority of the low-carb diet for all sorts of good things. In this case, the improvement of the atherogenic lipoprotein profile. Use it the next time someone hits you with the old ‘that diet is clogging your arteries’ nonsense.

https://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/l...iet/#more-1350

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