For good health, eat a low carb, high fat diet

 In one of the largest and most rigorous trials to date, a new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that eating a diet low in carbohydrates and higher in fats is good for you. As you probably know, I, and many others, have been saying this for years. In commenting about the new study, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, said “It’s a well-controlled trial that shows that eating lower carb and more saturated fat is actually good for you…Most Americans still believe that low-fat foods are healthier for them, and this trial shows that at least for these outcomes, the high-fat, low-carb group did better.”

The study participants were divided into groups in which 20 percent, 40 percent or 60 percent of their calories came from carbohydrates. (The low carb diet largely eliminated highly processed and sugary foods and emphasized carbs from whole fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes. I can’t argue with that.) Protein was kept at 20 percent for all groups. The remaining calories came from fat.

The low carb group got 21 percent of their daily calories from saturated fat, an amount double that recommended by the federal government’s dietary guidelines. Nevertheless, they experienced no detrimental changes in their cholesterol levels. Their LDL cholesterol—the so-called “bad” kind—stayed about the same as those who got just 7 percent of their daily calories from saturated fat. What’s more the low-carb, high-fat group had a roughly 15 percent reduction in their levels of lipoprotein(a), a fatty particle in the blood that is strongly linked to the development of heart disease and strokes.

The low carb/high fat group also showed a 15 percent drop in their lipoprotein insulin resistance scores, which indicates a reduction in the risk of diabetes. Those on the high carbohydrate diet saw their scores rise by 10 percent. What’s more, the low carb group had a drop in their blood triglyceride levels—a good thing because high levels are linked to heart attacks and strokes. They also had increases in their levels of adiponectin, a hormone that helps lower inflammation and makes cells more sensitive to insulin, another good thing.

So what's not to like? 

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