TIME Magazine

Low-Carb Diets: Heart Approved!

Posted Nov. 9, 2006 "No bread for me, thanks. I'm watching my weight. But, could you pass the bacon?" If you are one of the 26 million Americans on a hard-core low-carb diet, like Atkins or South Beach — you're probably all too familiar with that common dinner table sentiment. For years, conventional wisdom has told us that while low-carbohydrate diets may trim down our waste, they are not helping our heart.

In the largest study of its kind, new research from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that diets low in carbohydrates and high in proteins and fats are not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease in women — adding a compelling piece of evidence to the long debate over long-term safety effects in low-carb diets. "There has long been concern among many people about the long term effects of low-carb diets like Atkins," said Frank Hu, co-author of the study and associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH. "We did not see an association between low-carb diets and the risk of CHD. The diet is healthy."

But the researchers aren't advocating that you pile on the bacon — it just isn't as bad as we thought and it certainly won't make you healthier. What the study did find was an association between low-carbohydrate diets — that are high in fats and proteins from vegetable sources — had a 30% decreased risk of coronary heart disease. "If you want to follow a low-carb diet you should still pay attention and emphasize the healthy fats and proteins rather than just load your plate with bacon and stake," Hu said.

The study — which will appear in the Nov. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine — studied 82,802 women involved in the Nurse's Health Study for a period of 20 years. Participants filled out semi-quantitative questionnaires every four years — reporting on what type and quantity of food they consume — and the researchers compiled data on the participant's health and lifestyle every two years. Each participant was assigned a low-carbohydrate diet score ranging from 0 (lowest fat and protein, highest carbohydrate intake) to 30 (highest fat and protein, lowest carbohydrate intake) — which was calculating by measuring their intake of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. After 20 years, 1,994 of the women developed coronary heart disease. The researchers then compared those participants with their low-carbohydrate diet score and studied the association with their health condition.

What it means: The safety of low-carb diets has been debated for years without much scientific certainty. This is the first long-term study using a large sample size that has studied the long-term effects of low-carbohydrate diets on the development of coronary heart disease. While the researchers are not advocating diets that are high in fat and proteins and continue recommend eating healthy forms of fat and proteins, the study does show that low-carbohydrate diets are not harmful to your heart.