Low-Fat, High-Carb Diet Has No Effect On Cholesterol Levels, Study Finds

March 18, 2010: 03:51 AM EST

A six-year U.S. study of nearly 3,000 post-menopausal women has found that a low-fat diet bolstered with complex carbohydrates has no effect on cholesterol levels, but is still a good way to lose weight. Researchers studied two sets of women: a control group and a group fed low-fat foods plus vegetables, fruit and grains. Though the diet didn’t affect cholesterol among non-diabetics, it pushed triglyceride levels higher (a sign of high cholesterol) among diabetic women whose levels were already high. Still, reduced consumption of saturated fats and trans fatty acids did lower the risk of heart disease, researchers said. But at least one skeptical dietary expert cautioned that studies based on participant reports of their adherence to diets are “notoriously inaccurate.”

Barbara V Howard, J David Curb, Charles B Eaton, et al., "Low-fat dietary pattern and lipoprotein risk factors", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 18, 2010, © American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Low-Fat, High-Carb Diet Has No Effect On Cholesterol Levels, Study Finds

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