Low-carb diets harm arteries in mouse study

Low-carbohydrate diets, popular because they can work well for weight loss, have been linked by researchers to diseased arteries, a risk factor for stroke and heart disease. But the study looked at the effect of these diets on mice. We don't know whether people would be affected in the same way.

Low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets, such as the Atkins diet, have become popular in recent years. In a low-carbohydrate diet, people cut down on carbohydrates such as pasta and bread, rather than cutting down on fat. The diet normally includes more protein from meat and dairy products than a low-fat diet. Although there is no agreed definition of a low-carb diet, it is typically less than 20 percent carbohydrates.

Mice who'd been fed on a low-carbohydrate diet had narrower blood vessels and more fatty lumps (known as plaques) sticking to the inside of their blood vessels, compared with mice on a typical 'Western' diet high in carbohydrates. Having narrow blood vessels with lots of plaques increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Interestingly, the mice on the low-carb diet didn't have higher levels of cholesterol in their blood or higher levels of other markers for artery disease.

The trouble with studies in mice is that we don't know whether or not the results will also apply to people. These particular mice were bred with a high genetic chance of developing arterial disease for the study. They were given food specially prepared to mimic either a low-carbohydrate diet or a typical 'Western' diet – but neither of these is the type of diet a mouse would usually eat. So it's hard to know whether we can rely on this study to tell us how low-carbohydrate diets affect humans.

Low-carb diets harm arteries in mouse study

The judge said a book about the diet was not an advertisement for products but rather was a guide to leading a controlled-carbohydrate lifestyle.

Besides, he noted, Gorran acknowledged he had consumed large amounts of pastrami and cheesecake, foods the average consumer expects may increase cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin made the finding as he dismissed a lawsuit in which Jody Gorran of Delray Beach, Fla., claimed his cholesterol level shot up from 146 six months before he began the diet to 230 afterward, leading to severe chest pain and an angioplasty treatment.

Judge says Atkins diet has First Amendment protection

The judge said a book about the diet was not an advertisement for products but rather was a guide to leading a controlled-carbohydrate lifestyle.