Have you read this?

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SuperSexyDork
SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
in Food and Nutrition
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/06/its-time-to-ditch-low-carb-diets/258343/

This article summarizes a 25 year Swedish study of low fat vs low carb diets.

The study can be found here, http://www.nutritionj.com/content/11/1/40/abstract

What's your take on the whole thing?

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  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    I'm awaiting the low carb backlash!
  • rmac18
    rmac18 Posts: 185 Member
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    I'm not surprised.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    it's an observational study, doesn't demonstrate cause and effect. It doesn't look at heart risk either, so pointing to high total cholesterol doesn't tell us anything about increased risk.

    My take is that the carbohydrate and lean foods industry has been spooked by trends in Sweden.

    http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/swedish-study-falsely-blames-low-carbohydrate-high-fat-diets-for-high-cholesterol-levels-158599745.html

    http://www.dietdoctor.com/the-swedish-diet-revolution-and-the-resulting-hysteria
  • frillypantz
    frillypantz Posts: 134
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    So basically we should all be following the Atkins diet..... ?
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    So basically we should all be following the Atkins diet..... ?

    Not according to this study. This study concludes that people should stop following low carb diets like Atkins.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
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    There was a meta-study done in the last few years that showed overall that there was a higher than normal mortality rate for people following low-carb diets. So this sort of study isn't surprising to me.
  • bashiera
    bashiera Posts: 140 Member
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    No.

    "Foods associated with the high fat intake in this Swedish study were "fats used for spreading on bread and cooking, dairy products, oil for salad dressing or cooking, various types of meats, and sausages, as main dishes or on sandwiches, pizza, deep fried potato chips, French fries, including corn chips and popcorn.""
    Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1edbq)

    Sandwiches, pizza, fried potato chips, french fries. Sounds like a lot of carbs that also happen to have fat on them.
    It goes on to say
    "In contrast, with Atkins, in the early weight loss phases, only 10 percent of calories come from healthy carbohydrates, and the remaining calories come from a variety of protein choices, as well as healthy fats such as olive oil and avocado.
    Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1edbq)"

    The study was skewed.
  • sapalee
    sapalee Posts: 409 Member
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    Great to see these longitudinal studies but they rarely give as much info as I'd like to see. What type of fats were they consuming? What did low carb mean... elimination or reduction of fruits and veggies? What was the cholesterol breakdown? Did the higher cholesterol actually correlate to cardiovascular issues?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    listen to a Swedish doctor - http://www.dietdoctor.com/the-swedish-diet-revolution-and-the-resulting-hysteria

    The actual study is at http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-11-40.pdf

    What it shows is an observed increase in total fat consumption, and an observed increase in total cholesterol....

    "After 2004 fat intake increased sharply for both
    genders, which coincided with introduction of a positive media support for low carbohydratehigh-fat (LCHF) diet." (my italics)

    The percentage carbohydrate reported in the average diet is over 40% - so this is by no measure a low carb population.

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