Diet, Health|February 25, 2010 1:02 pm

Low-Carb Diet Increases Bad Cholesterol Levels



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carbs 300x217 Low Carb Diet Increases Bad Cholesterol LevelsCutting carbs can help dieters lose weight, but a new study finds that it also increases “bad” cholestrol levels…possibly doing more harm than good.

Researchers at the University of Colorado found that people who ate a diet low in carbohydrates but relatively high in fat lost the same amount of weight over a six week period as those who consumed a high-carb diet, but the LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels increased significantly among low-carbers. Conversely, those who consumed higher carbs saw their LDL levels decrease.

“The data suggests that a high-fat diet may have adverse metabolic effects during active weight loss,” Teri Hernandez, lead author of the study, concluded.

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Author: Lolita Carrico is the founder of the Gloss Network for Women. Lolita has been featured as an expert on hundreds of media outlets like Redbook, Parents, The Washington Post, ABC News and FOX News, discussing topics such as parenting, relationships, career and balancing it all. Follow her on Twitter @lolita

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  • Paul

    This may be picking a nit, but cholesterol is a single molecule. It has a single chemical formula and structure. There is no such thing as “good” and “bad” cholesterol. There is only what percentage of the cholesterol is attached to the carrier proteins low or high density lipoprotein. There is no good and bad cholesterol, only cholesterol. While for that matter The Framingham study evidence underlying the “lipid hypothesis” was never strong to start with. Since then a massive lipid lowering campaign has shown no effect on heart disease rates. While an elegant and seemingly intuitive hypothesis, more and more openly people are rightly questioning the wisdom of the cholesterol lowering campaign.

    There’s an interesting post over at the Health Journal Club that makes the case that people should just not eat anything that wasn’t a food 100 years ago. Gets rid of the aspartame, bleached GM flour, high fructose corn syrup garbage they try to pass off as food these days. If interested you can read on it here,
    http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/

  • John

    This is old disproven science being regurgitated. While it’s true that low carb diets usually raise total LDL, we now know that there are two distinctively different varieties of LDL. The variety that gets raised on a low carb diet is of the large fluffy type that is not associated with increased heart disease. The small dense type, which is the “bad” type is not raised.

    Low carb diets are now being used by many cardiologists to improve blood lipids and reverse heart disease.

    Low carb diets Raise HDL (the good cholesterol) and lower triglycerides (the really bad blood fat) dramatically. both of which are markers for improved cardiovascular health. No other diet does that.

    Modern Science now shows us that when we read blood lipids, we must know if the LDL is bad or good. One must have a V.A.P. test to determine the nature of the LDL.

    As far as blood sugar being regulated. It’s well known that a low carb diet does that best. Any carbohydrate eaten automatically raise blood sugar and the body has to counteract that now higher blood sugar, usually with an insulin release.

    This is the science of it now. All you have to do is look for the studies that show it.

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