A recent medical study conducted in Canada found that a low-carb, high-fat diet similar to the keto diet is linked to cardiovascular disease.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, was presented Sunday at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology.
The “keto” diet relies on fats for energy, largely avoiding carbohydrates, and severely reducing the intake of healthy foods, such as fruits, legumes and whole grains.
“The research found that a low-carb, high-fat diet was associated with increased levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), (known as bad cholesterol), and an increased risk of heart disease,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Iulia Eitan.
In the study, researchers defined a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet as being 45 percent (calories) fat and 25 percent carbohydrate.
The researchers compared the diets of 305 people who ate an LCHF diet with about 1,200 people who ate a standard diet, and based their information on a UK Biobank database that tracks patient data for at least 10 years.
The researchers found that people who followed the LCHF diet had higher levels of “bad cholesterol.” The total fat intake of the participants on the LCHF diet was higher in saturated fat, and consumption of animal sources doubled (33 percent) compared to those in the control group. control subjects (16 percent).
“After an average of 11.8 years of follow-up, and after adjusting for other risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and smoking, the dieters were Those with LCHF are twice as likely to have many cardiovascular problems, such as clogged arteries, heart attack, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease.”
It is worth noting that the study was not subject to peer review. The author pointed out limitations such as the study’s small sample size, and that most of the participants were British, and did not include other ethnic groups.
“CNN” quoted Doctor Christopher Gardner, a research professor of medicine at the Stanford Preventive Research Center who conducted clinical trials on the “keto” system, that the study indicates that “the harms outweigh the benefits.”
The doctor, who was not involved in the study, pointed to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals with higher blood ketone levels, when compared to those who followed a standard diet.