HEALTH ALERT: Low carb, high protein diets may be unhealthy in the long term

Low carb, high protein diets may be unhealthy in the long term

Published in EUFIC

Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets (an example of such a diet could be the Atkins diet), are popular for weight control. Short-term intervention studies suggest that these diets produce a similar weight loss to traditional high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diets. However, a large observational study has suggested that low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may not be healthy in the long run.

Researchers from Greece used data from the multi-centered EPIC trial (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) to investigate relationships between mortality and dietary composition. 22,950 healthy adults aged between 20 – 86 were followed between 1993 and 2003.  Diets were recorded using a validated food frequency questionnaire.

It was found that there was significantly lower mortality risk for those adults with the highest carbohydrate intake, while diets richer in protein were associated with a non-significant higher risk of mortality. For subjects who followed a dietary pattern which combined the highest protein and lowest carbohydrate content within the sample, the risk of mortality increased. The authors suggest that these types of diets may not be a healthy option in the long-term.

For more information, see
Trichopoulou A et al (2007). Low-carbohydrate-high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 61, pp 575-581.

EUFIC related material:Nutrition-Protein
Nutrition-Carbohydrates
Health & Lifestyle-Diet & weight control

Published inn EUFIC

Check out my latest e-book entitled: "Social Media Marketing in Agri-Foods: Endless Profit and Painless Gain".  

The book is available on Amazon and Kindle for $4.99 USD. Visit amazon/Kindle to order now:
http://www.amazon.ca/Social-Media-Marketing-Agri-Foods-ebook/dp/B00C42OB3E/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364756966&sr=1-1

Written by Bruce MacDonald, a 30 year veteran of the Agri-food industry, in "Social Media Marketing in Agri-Foods: Endless Profit and Painless Gain", Bruce applies his background and expertise in Agri-foods and social media to the latest trends, tools and methodologies needed to craft a successful on-line campaign. While the book focuses on the Agri-food market specifically, I believe that many of the points Bruce makes are equally applicable to most other industries.