http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/144970/Heart-disease-risk-for-dieters-who-ban-carbs

HEART DISEASE RISK FOR DIETERS WHO BAN CARBOHYDRATES

Scientists say the negatives of cutting carbs from your diet outweigh any positives

Wednesday December 9,2009

By Jo Willey

Have your say: http://www.express.co.uk/comments/add/144970

EATING a low carbohydrate diet can increase the risk of heart disease, research revealed yesterday.

Scientists found people shunning carbs http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/ 50588/Are-your-kids-eating-too-healthily-  like bread and pasta - similar to the controversial Atkins diet - are 25 per cent more likely to suffer clogged arteries than in a low-fat diet.

Hardening of the arteries is a key indicator of future heart problems.

And experts warn that the risks of a low-carbohydrate high-fat diet far outweigh the potential benefits gained by overweight or obese people losing extra pounds this way.

This even includes any improvement in blood pressure and risk -- factors for coronary heart disease.

Dr Steven Hunter, from the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, said: "High-fat diets have become popular because they seemingly promote more rapid weight loss and because of their palatability.

"However, we now have proof that they do not help -- people lose weight any faster than more conventional diets.

"And the potential negatives of increased cardiovascular risks far outweigh the potential positives of more easily sustained dieting/weight loss, especially when there is a proven and safe alternative in low-fat high-carbohydrate weight loss diets."

The low-carb diet involves eating more protein and fat in foods such as meat, cream and butter and cutting out bread, sugar and other foods high in carbohydrates.

At its peak in 2003 more than three million Britons were thought to be on Atkins-style diets. The Atkins book sold more than a million copies in Britain and the US.