Going low-carb? Pick the right proteins

Low-carb eating plans like the Atkins diet were once so popular that they
graced the covers of Newsweek and other magazines. Some experts championed
these diets as the best way to lose weight. Others scorned them as the
heart-clogging way that might help you shed pounds but put your health at
risk. Now several large randomized controlled trials - the gold standard of
medical research - have shown that low-carb diets are as good as low-fat
diets for losing weight, and may even be better. But how do they fare for
long-term health?

Most low-carb diets deliver more protein and fat than "regular" or low-fat
diets. We know there are good and not-so-good fats and carbohydrates. Could
the same hold true for protein sources? If so, then the type of protein that
dominates a diet can influence health as much as the kinds and amounts of
carbohydrates or fats.

The evidence

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have been following
85,000 female nurses and 45,000 male health professionals since the
mid-1980s. Every few years, the participants fill out questionnaires
detailing what they eat and provide other information on their health. This
wealth of data is offering some insight into the long-term effects of
different low-carb diets.

In one study, the researchers created scores for each nurse's intake of
protein from red meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, nuts, and beans. The
findings:

The more protein from red meat, the higher the chances of developing heart
disease.

Women who averaged two or more servings of red meat a day had a 30% higher
risk of developing heart disease than those who had one or fewer servings a
day.

Replacing one serving of meat with one of nuts reduced the risk by 30%.

In a separate study, the researchers created scores that reflected both the
amount of carbohydrate in the diet and the main sources of protein. Among
the nurses and male health professionals, those with a low-carb diet heavy
in animal protein were 23% more likely to have died over 20-plus years of
follow-up than those with "regular" diets, while those following a low-carb
diet rich in plant protein were 20% less likely to have died.

PP
--
"What you fail to understand is that criticising established authority by means
of argument and evidence is a crucial aspect of how science works."
                                                                - Chris Malcolm

On 2/28/2012 4:45 PM, Peppermint Patootie wrote:

Not only feedlot, but if cured vs. uncured is not controlled for, no deal.

Susan

Steve

--

But were the carbs on the low carb diet higher quality than the carbs
on the higher carb diet.

What I would also like to know is how the authors defined "low carb".
Most published studies consider low carb to be as high as 45%.
Its' probably difficult to construct a much lower carb diet based on
vegetable proteins. Carbs come along for the ride with vegetable
proteins.

Randy

Also a certain amount of carbs are needed to increase insulin
sensitivity even in diabetics. Very low carb diets result in decreased
insulin sensitivity. If your eating very low carb that might be OK,
the problems is that the liver still produces insulin and if you
insulin resistance higher fasting bg levels might result.

I can provide source if requested.

Randy

--
Chris Malcolm