Do you follow a particular diet?
Yesterday, we revealed the news of the new study which suggested that a low-carb diet, like the popular Atkins, may be bad for the heart.
Doctors found that a diet of this variety was linked with increased cholesterol levels.
The research conducted in Sweden over 25 years tracked the health of 140,000 people in the north of the country.
The Atkins diet has been popular for quite some time now, and it's popularity soared when celebrities like Jennifer Aniston used it to stay in shape.
Colette Heimowitz, vice president of nutrition and education for Atkins Nutritionals Inc, has come back to offer an explanation and give reasoning to the results of the research.
She says: “The study referenced completely ignores a large body of literature that points to health promoting effects of low carbohydrate diets. As the associate professor of the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Jeff Volek PhD RD, said recently, a well formulated low carbohydrate diet, such as the Atkins Diet, has been shown in numerous studies to result in favorable effects on cholesterol, saturated fat levels in the body and other cardio-metabolic markers, especially in individuals who have insulin resistance.
“The Swedish study examines a population with a diet much higher in fat and carbohydrate levels than advised on the Atkins Diet and this food intake is not reflective of the Atkins programme. This research is a case study of what happens when a population consumes high carbohydrate combined with high fat. In fact, BMI increased, as did markers for heart disease. Fat poses no risk when carbohydrate consumption is low enough to allow the body to burn fat for fuel. This has been demonstrated in clinical trials time and time again, consistently supporting the conclusion that a well-constructed Atkins Diet actually lowers risk factors for heart disease.
“The Atkins approach is a viable, safe, effective and sound diet, with more than 80 published studies supporting its ability to help people lose weight while also benefitting health.”
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