Heart Disease not increased by LC

[cmcole]

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/11/08/low-carb-heart.html
No difference in heart disease risk from low-carb diet: study

Last Updated: Wednesday, November 8, 2006 | 4:59 PM ET

CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/credit.html)


Low-carb diets defy traditional weight loss advice but do not seem be linked to a higher risk of heart disease in women, according to a long-term study published Thursday.


The Atkin's and other low-carb diets have long claimed to prevent obesity and heart disease, but nutrition experts questioned the safety of encouraging people to eat animal proteins that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol.http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/pix/diets.jpgLow-carb diets, which encourage people to eat more proteins, are popular for weight loss.
Now researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have weighed in after analyzing data collected over 20 years from more than 82,000 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study.

In Thursday's issue of the weekly New England Journal of Medicine, they conclude the answer lies in the middle.

"This study doesn't mean that you should load your plate with steak and bacon," said the study's senior author, Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard.

There was no increase or decrease in the risk of heart disease among low-carb eaters in the study.

For complete article, follow above link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=416229&in_page_id=1770


'More than 4oz of red meat per day increases risk of breast cancer', say experts

By JENNY HOPE, Medical Correspondent Last updated at 22:00pm on 13th November 2006

[BeccainSC]

One other thing I found about this study not mentioned in the CBS article (that I could see) was this bit on this report http://cardiology.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1108/1

Daily mean carbohydrate intake ranged from 117 g to 234 g across the deciles.

Not exactly "low carb" by our standards. I'm wondering if either of the Dr. Eades will blog about this study. Looks like it's right up Dr. Mike's alley.

'becca

[cmcole]

And then, to counter:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061113.wmeat1113/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home


Carnivorous women at greater risk of breast cancer: study


CARLA K. JOHNSON AND MARILYNN MARCHIONE
Associated Press

CHICAGO — Eating red meat may raise a woman's risk of a common type of breast cancer, and vitamin supplements will do little if anything to protect her heart, two new studies suggest.
Women who ate more than 1 1/2 servings of red meat per day were almost twice as likely to develop hormone-related breast cancer as those who ate fewer than three portions per week, one study found.
The other — one of the longest and largest tests of whether supplements of various vitamins can prevent heart problems and strokes in high-risk women — found that the popular pills do no good, although there were hints that women with the highest risk might get some benefit from vitamin C.
The meat study was published in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine. The vitamin study was presented at an American Heart Association conference in Chicago. Both were led by doctors at Harvard Medical School and were aimed at two diseases women most fear and want to prevent.

Follow above link for entire article

[Mitra]

Dr Mike has said he has a blog in preparation. Regina Wilshire has done a couple of articles on it, too: here (http://weightoftheevidence.blogspot.com/2006/11/spinning-low-carbohydrate-diet-study.html) and here (http://weightoftheevidence.blogspot.com/2006/11/low-carb-diet-study-but-wait-theres.html).

[wendyj]

My guess is that the study on the cancer did not keep carbs low enough to prevent the growth of cancer cells. It is my understanding that cancer cells feed on sugars and that in the absence of sugars, cancer cannot spread as easily.

Also, I doubt the people on the study were taking CoQ10, green tea or other powerful antioxidants on a regular basis. :rolleyes: While theoretically eating less red meat is probably better, if your choice is to leave low carb due to lack of satisfaction as a result of ONLY eating lean meats all the time, it isn't worth it. Satisfaction is important too.

Wendy