Scientists from the Medical University in Lodz, Poland, have found that low-carb diets, which are considered part of a healthy lifestyle, increase the risk of premature death. This was announced in a press release on EurekAlert !.
The long-term study, which took place in 1999-2010, involved 24,825 people, whose average age reached 47.6 years. Experts have studied the relationship between low-carb diets and mortality from various causes, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke) and cancer.
It turned out that who had the lowest carbohydrate intake had an increase of 32 percent at the 6.4-year follow-up period compared to the average. At the same time, the risk of death from heart disease, stroke and tumors increased by 51, 50 and 25 percent, respectively. This association was strongest in non-obese older adults.
The results were confirmed in a meta-analysis of seven studies, involving a total of 447,506 people. Scientists have found that low carbohydrate intake is more dangerous than high intake and leads to an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer by 13 and 8 percent, respectively. One of the possible reasons for this relationship, perhaps, is a concomitant increase in the consumption of animal protein and fats, as well as an insufficient intake of fiber and other plant substances in the body.