Low Carb, High Protein, Fats OK for Women

11/09/2006

BOSTON—Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health here found diets lower in carbohydrates and higher in proteins and fats are not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women. Data from the Nurses' Health Study food-frequency questionnaire given to 82,802 women was evaluated. Researchers calculated a low-carb diet score, which was based on the percentage of energy from carbohydrates, fat and protein (a higher score reflected a higher intake of fat and protein and a lower intake of carbohydrates). In the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, (355, 19:1991-2002, 2006) researchers then examined the association between the low-carb diet score and the risk of CHD.
During the 20 years of follow-up, researchers documented 1,994 new cases of CHD. After multivariate adjustment, the relative risk of CHD (comparing highest and lowest deciles of the low-carb diet score) was 0.94 (95-percent confidence interval [CI]). The relative risk on the basis of the percentage of energy from carbohydrate, animal protein and animal fat was 0.94 (95-percent CI); whereas, the relative risk on the basis of the percentage of energy from intake of carbohydrates, vegetable protein and vegetable fat was 0.70 (95-percent CI). Other data indicated a higher glycemic load was strongly associated with an increased risk of CHD (relative risk of 1.90; 95-percent CI).
Researchers concluded diets lower in carbohydrate and higher in protein and fat are not associated with increased risk of CHD in women, and when vegetable sources of fat and protein are chosen, these diets actually may moderately reduce the risk of CHD.

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