Type 2 diabetes and heart disease linked to carbohydrates rather than fat
A high-carb diet is more harmful to humans than a high-fat one, new research suggests.
The study
The study, conducted at The Ohio State University and published in PLOS ONE, suggests that doubling the amount of saturated fat in the diet has no effect on fat levels in the blood. Increasing carbohydrates, on the other hand, raised levels of Palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid associated with heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The study was conducted by feeding participants six three-week diets. Carbohydrates were steadily increased and fat content was steadily reduced. Calories and protein remained the same throughout.
The researchers discovered that levels of Palmitoleic acid, which is associated with cardiovascular (heart) disease and type 2 diabetes, increased as carbohydrates were reintroduced to the diet.
How do the findings compare to traditional dietary recommendations?
Jeff Volek, a professor of human sciences of Ohio State University and lead author of the study, said that the result “Challenges the conventional wisdom that has demonised saturated fat and extends our knowledge of why dietary saturated fat doesn’t correlate with disease.
“When you consume a very low-carb diet your body preferentially burns saturated fat. We had people eat two times more saturated fat than they had been eating before entering …read more
Source:: News from Diabetes.co.uk