Research discourages low-carb diet plans
Eating a diet that is low in carbohydrates could mean you die younger, a 25-year study has suggested. Food plans which replace carbs with protein and fat, such as Atkins and ketogenic diets, have gained popularity and been endorsed by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian.
But research found those with low-carb diets died an average of four years earlier than those with moderate intakes. Even people with high intakes fared better than those who cut out carbohydrates. “Low-carb diets that replace carbohydrates with protein or fat are gaining widespread popularity as a health and weight loss strategy,” said study leader Sara Seidelmann, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “However, our data suggests that animal-based low carbohydrate diets might be associated with shorter overall lifespan and should be discouraged.
“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.” For the study, which was published in Lancet Public Health, researchers followed 15,428 adults aged 45 to 64 over two decades from 1987.
The researchers found that, from age 50, average life expectancy was 83 years for those with moderate carbohydrate intake (50 to 55 per cent of daily calories), which was four years longer than those with very low carbohydrate consumption (less than 40 per cent of calories) who lived an average of 79 years. Those with a high-carb intake (greater than 70 per cent of daily calories) lived until an average age of 82. Researchers also found that replacing carbohydrates with protein and fat from animal sources was associated with a higher risk of mortality than moderate carbohydrate intake whereas replacing with plant-based foods was linked to a lower risk of mortality.
The authors speculated that Western-type diets that heavily restrict carbohydrates often lead to greater consumption of animal proteins and fats, which may drive inflammation, biological aging and oxidative stress. “No aspect of nutrition is so hotly contended on social media than the carb versus fat debate, despite the long-term evidence on health benefits supporting the higher carb argument,” said Catherine Collins, a dietitian with Britain’s National Health Service. “Yet supporters of the cult of Low Carb High Fat eating will no doubt disagree with this newest research. Such a stance is at odds with advice from WHO (the World Health Organization) and government health bodies that recommend a carb intake to provide half our daily calorie needs.”