A war of opinions, over whether Carbohydrates are good or bad for you, has been raging for years in the western world. But the latest hard, scientific evidence about Carbs indicates that a final answer to the persistent question may be the one dictated by good old Common Sense…
‘Some’ is probably better than ‘less’ or ‘lots’ – when it comes to carbs.
And don’t forget: Pasta doesn’t cause weight gain!
That’s right… ‘Carbs in moderation’ may be the best dietary policy. So say a pair of new, massive studies on the issue that have just been released.
Low-Carb diets ‘unsafe’…
A study of 24,825 participants of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 1999 to 2010 revealed some remarkable – and, for some, alarming – correlations between Carbs and overall healtyh.
A team from the Medical University of Lodz, Poland, examined the relationship between low carbohydrate diets, all-cause death, and deaths from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (including stroke), and cancer in a nationally representative sample of Americans, whose health and wellness records were followed from 1999 to 2010.
Compared to participants with the highest carbohydrate consumption, those with the lowest intake had a 32% higher risk of all-cause death over an average 6.4-year follow-up. In addition, risks of death from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer were increased by 51%, 50%, and 35%, respectively.
Study Lead Author Professor Maciej Banach, sums up: “Low Carbohydrate diets might be useful in the short term to lose weight, lower blood pressure, and improve blood glucose control, but our study suggests that, in the long-term they are linked with an increased risk of death from any cause, and deaths due to cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer.”
…and Carbs in moderation is the best policy
A new study, recently published in the British medical journal Lancet, has found that diets both low and high in Carbohydrates were linked with an increase in mortality, while moderate consumers of carbohydrates had the lowest risk of mortality. The study also found that low-carb diets that replace carbohydrates with proteins and fats from plant sources were associated with lower risk of mortality compared to those that replace carbohydrates with proteins and fat from animal sources.
The observational study of more than 15,400 people from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) in the USA found that diets both low (< 40% energy) and high (>70% energy) in Carbohydrates were linked with an increase in mortality, while moderate consumers of Carbohydrates (50-55% of energy) had the lowest risk of mortality.
(Maggie’s observation: Sounds like the Med Diet, à l’Italienne, doesn’t it?)
“We need to look really carefully at what are the healthy compounds in diets that provide protection,” says Dr. Sara Seidelmann, Clinical and Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston who led the research. “Low-carb diets that replace Carbohydrates with protein or fat are gaining widespread popularity as a health and weight loss strategy. However, our data suggests that animal-based low Carbohydrate diets, which are prevalent in North America and Europe, might be associated with shorter overall life span and should be discouraged. Instead, if one chooses to follow a low Carbohydrate diet, then exchanging Carbohydrates for more plant-based fats and proteins might actually promote healthy aging in the long term.”
My take…
Put these two studies together with the finding, earlier this year, that Pasta doesn’t cause weight gain, and you’ve got a really strong guideline for living.
And this all just goes to prove what Julia Child always counselled: “All things in moderation, including moderation!”
~ Maggie J.