"Low carb diets 'damage arteries'" page

[gazb]

My Dad sent me a link to this BBC article, I'd imagine from being worried about how I eat:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8218780.stm


It's all a bit vague (Which researchers? Which independent experts? How much and what kind of fat was involved in the low carb high protein diet? What's the standard mouse feed?), and I was kinda taking it seriously up until "We know that foods such as red meat and diary products, which are high in protein, also contain high levels of saturated fat. These fats then cause the build up in the arteries."


So the article's implying that the saturated fat is clogging arteries, but by "atherosclerosis" (plaque build up) rather than the usual suspect cholesterol. I don't remember hearing atherosclerosis being discussed here or on other low carb sites. However there's not enough detail about the results of the study to prove that it was the saturated fat that caused it.


I'm obviously skeptical, what are people's thoughts?

[Indiscreet]

I read it this morning and thought "what a load of crap."

Mice, for one, are not evolved to eat a hunter gatherer diet of meats and fats. Furthermore, it says nothing about what kind of stuff they were feeding them. I highly doubt it was grassfed beef, game or oily fish.

[Anand Srivastava]

My only response would be, If saturated fat was bad for my body, then why would the body create saturated fat from carbohydrates.

[rphlslv]

Why do they keep testing these things on mice? Why not just look at real people's results instead?

[SerialSinner]

Has anyone found the original paper?

I would be interested to see the exact composition of the diet administered to the rats.

[Vick]

I saw an article regarding this. It relates to the fats and starchy carbs. When eaten together there is a chemical change in the molecules. This forms a binding material and clogs the arteries. No starchy carbs... no problem with the fats. Once I find the link I'll post it.

[frogfarm]

I think this is the third time in recent weeks I've seen a research study cited that mixed carbs and fat and then blamed the fat.

[PrimalGoddess]

this was probally written by the sugar industry lol

[SeanBissell]

I looked around and can't seem to find what *type* of fat they fed the mice.


My guess is that it was high in omega-6.


And the group that ate *less* omega-6 had less atherosclerosis.


When you cut the carbs, then naturally you'll have to increase the fat and/or protein.


And the group who had less exposure to omega-6 (higher carbs) had less atherosclerosis.


That's my guess.

-Sean

[danid14]

This is what I found from Science Daily:


The investigators proceeded to study a mouse model of atherosclerosis. These "ApoE" mice were fed one of three diets: a standard diet of mouse "chow" (65 percent carbohydrate; 15 percent fat; 20 percent protein); a "Western diet" in keeping with the average human diet (43 percent carbohydrate; 42 percent fat; 15 percent protein; and 0.15 percent cholesterol); or a low-carb/high-protein diet (12 percent carbohydrate; 43 percent fat; 45 percent protein; and 0.15 percent cholesterol).


"We had a diet specially made that would mimic a typical low-carb diet," explains Foo. "In order to keep the calorie count the same in all three diets, we had to substitute a nutrient to replace the carbohydrates. We decided to substitute protein because that is what people typically do when they are on these diets."