A low carbohydrate diet can increase cardiovascular disease

Research just published in BMJ (the British Journal of Medicine) presents substantial evidence that a low carbohydrate high protein diet can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The authors' intent was to...

"...study the long term consequences of low carbohydrate diets, generally characterised by concomitant increases in protein intake, on cardiovascular health."

They followed a cohort of 43,396 Swedish women, ages of 30-49 years at the beginning of the study, for an average of 15.7 years, then correlated data on incident cardiovascular diseases with decreasing carbohydrate intake, increasing protein intake, and a combination of these to give a low carbohydrate-high protein score. This was adjusted for intake of energy, intake of saturated and unsaturated fat, and several non-dietary variables. The results show that there are better ways to reap the cardiovascular benefits of a low glycemic diet than a low carbohydrate high protein regimen:

"A one tenth decrease in carbohydrate intake or increase in protein intake or a 2 unit increase in the low carbohydrate-high protein score were all statistically significantly associated with increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease overall. No heterogeneity existed in the association of any of these scores with the five studied cardiovascular outcomes: ischaemic heart disease, ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke , subarachnoid haemorrhage, and peripheral arterial disease."

Key clinical point: there is abundant evidence that regulating blood glucose and insulin with a wholesome low glycemic diet (such as with the 'modified Mediterranean' or 'paleo-Mediterranean' diets) confers important benefits. Sacrificing healthy low glycemic carbohydrates replete with anti-inflammatory flavonoids for an across-the-board low carbohydrate regimen with increased protein can, as we see here, promote rather than diminish chronic inflammation. The authors conclude:

"Low carbohydrate-high protein diets, used on a regular basis and without consideration of the nature of carbohydrates or the source of proteins, are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease."