Gulf Today - Panorama

LOW-CARB DIETS COULD INCREASE HEART RHYTHM DISORDERS

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Popular low-carb diets promoted by celebritie­s including Gwyneth Paltrow and the Kardashian­s, as well as some doctors, could increase the risk of heart rhythm disorders that can lead to stroke, according to new research.

People who got less of their energy from starchy staples like bread, pasta and potatoes had higher chances of atrial ibrillatio­n

(Afib). “Considerin­g the potential inluence on arrhythmia, our study suggests this popular weight control method should be recommende­d cautiously,” said Dr Xiaodong Zhuang, a cardiologi­st at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, who led the research.

This study focused on the downsides of ditching carbs and follows a major piece of research spanning half a million participan­ts. The indings used data from 14,000 people enrolled in a long-running study on heart disease risks in the US, who did not have

Afib at the time they started.

It found that people who got fewer than

45 per cent of their daily calories from carbohydra­tes were 18 per cent more likely to develop p Afib than those who got between 45 and 52 per cent of calories from carbs — dubbed a moderate amount.

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