# Low-carb diets associated with lower life expectancy



## David Baxter PhD (Aug 18, 2018)

*Low-carb diets associated with lower life expectancy, study suggests*
by Nicole Ireland and Christine Birak, _CBC News_
August 18, 2018

*New research shows moderation is healthiest approach, nutrition experts say*

Many people flocking to low-carb diets in an effort to shed pounds may be putting their health at risk, a new study suggests. 

"Low-carb  diets that replace carbohydrates with protein or fat are gaining  widespread popularity as a health and weight-loss strategy," said Dr.  Sara Seidelmman, lead author and a clinical and research fellow at  Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, in a news release.

"However,  our data suggests that animal-based low carbohydrate diets, which are  prevalent in North America and Europe, might be associated with shorter  overall life span and should be discouraged." 

The observational study of data provided by more than 15,400 adults in the U.S., published in _The Lancet Public Health Journal_,  found that people who got less than 40 per cent of their calories from  carbohydrates could expect to live four fewer years than those whose  diet included a "moderate" amount of carbohydrates (50 to 55 per cent of  total calories). 
Eating too many carbohydrates was also  unhealthy, the study found. People getting more than 70 per cent of  their caloric intake from carbs had a one-year shorter life expectancy  compared to the moderate carb eaters. 

The results suggest there  is a "sweet spot" — and it's in the middle of the two extremes says  Andrew Mente, a nutrition epidemiologist at McMaster University in  Hamilton, who reviewed the study and co-wrote an accompanying  commentary. 

"For  weight loss, certainly lower carbohydrate diets have been shown to be  beneficial," Mente told CBC News. "However the long-term effects are not  as well known. And so we can get hints from studies like this as to  what the long-term effects are."

"Focusing on a more moderate diet  and avoiding very low carb, just like avoiding very high carb, would be  the most appropriate," he said. 

But just how unhealthy a  low-carb diet is depends largely on what people are eating to replace  those carbohydrates, the researchers found.  People who ate few  carbs but more protein and fat from animal sources had a higher  mortality risk, whereas low-carb eaters who consumed "plant-derived"  protein and fat, including from nuts and vegetables, had a lower  mortality risk. 

That's a key finding, said Richard Bazinet, an  associate professor with the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the  University of Toronto. 

"What  makes nutrition so complicated is that when you remove something in your  diet, you have to replace it.  And so often we get excited: 'Oh, I've  removed a bag of chips from my diet or I've removed a soft drink from my  diet and I'm going low carb,"' he said. 

"If you remove some junk  food from your diet, you have to very careful not to just replace  it with another type of junk food. And you want to make healthy food  choices in those replacements."
Bazinet, who was not involved in  the study, said the findings are consistent with Canada's current  nutritional recommendations for carbohydrate intake. 

"It's a good  example of a nutrition study that's not coming out and saying, 'Oh,  we've been wrong for 20 years.' It's suggesting that the current  policies are in line." 

The  data studied by the researchers came from dietary questionnaires  completed by participants who had enrolled in a cardiovascular risk  factors study between 1987 and 1989 in four American communities. They  had several follow-up interviews over approximately 25 years to monitor  their self-reported food intake.     

The authors attempted to  control many variables that could affect the results, but acknowledge  the limitations of the study, including the fact that it was not a  randomized trial.  The results show an association between both low- and  high-carb diets and increased risk of death, but can't conclude cause  and effect.


_The results of a 25-year diet study suggest low-carb diets can shorten your life expectancy by up to four years. 1:52_

In addition, the study relied on participants to honestly report what they were eating and how much. 

Despite  these limitations, Bazinet said, it's a study that people should pay  attention to — and at a time when the public is bombarded with  often-conflicting nutritional advice, it reinforces a message many  experts often repeat. 

"Once again, it tells us that moderation seems to be, on average, the best approach we can take," he said.


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## Daniel (Aug 19, 2021)

The lifesaving food 90% aren’t eating enough of
					


It cuts your chances of heart attacks and keeps your weight and cholesterol down - and tastes good.




					getpocket.com
				




The fact fiber and whole-grains and fruit and vegetables are healthy should not come as a surprise.

But there is concern people are turning their back on fiber, with the popularity of low-carb diets.

Prof Nita Forouhi, from the University of Cambridge, says: "We need to take serious note of this study.

"Its findings do imply that, though increasingly popular in the community at large, any dietary regimes that recommend very low-carbohydrate diets should consider the opportunity cost of missing out on fiber from whole-grains.

"This research confirms that fiber and whole-grain intakes are clearly important for longer term health."


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