Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee) have announced the results of a study indicating that low-fat diets are more effective in preserving and promoting a healthy cardiovascular system than low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkin’s diet.

The six week study involved twenty participants, ages 18 to 50 with a body mass index (What is BMI? Calculate your BMI ) ranging from 29 to 39, whose diet was randomly assigned to them. The scientists looked at weight loss, flow-mediated dilation in a specific arm artery, blood pressure, insulin and glucose levels every two weeks of the study.

What the researchers found was reduced flow-mediated dilation in study participants who were on the low-carbohydrate diet. As measured in this study, reduced flow-mediated dilation is seen as an early indicator of cardiovascular disease. Conversely, flow-mediated dilation improved significantly in those on the low-fat diet which is generally associated with a healthier artery (and thus a lesser tendency to developing atherosclerosis or blocked blood vessels).

The low-carbohydrate diets were also found to provide significantly less daily folic acid than low-fat diets. Folic acid is believed to play a role in reducing the likelihood of a person’s developing heart disease thanks to both its antioxidant properties and its demonstrated ability to reduce homocysteine, a naturally occurring amino acid that can set the stage for heart disease when elevated. Click to learn about a time release form of homocysteine-lowering Folate

The low-carbohydrate diet utilized in the study provided 20 grams of carbohydrates daily and was supplemented with protein and fat content that followed Atkins' diet recommendations. The low-fat diet provided 30 percent of daily calories as fat, and was designed according the American Heart Association's recommendations.

"The composition of diet may be as important as the degree of weight loss in determining the effect of dietary interventions on vascular health," noted David D. Gutterman, M.D., Northwestern Mutual Professor of Cardiology, professor of medicine and physiology, and senior associate dean of research at the Medical College.

"Low-carbohydrate diets are significantly higher in total grams of fat, protein, dietary cholesterol and saturated fats than are low-fat diets. While a low-carbohydrate diet may result in weight loss and improvement in blood pressure, similar to a low-fat diet, the higher fat content is ultimately more detrimental to heart health than is the low-fat diet suggested by the American Heart Association," pointed out study leader Shane Phillips, MD

"The higher fat content of a low-carbohydrate diet may put dieters at an increased risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) because low-carbohydrate diets often reduce protection of the endothelium, the thin layer of cells that line the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The reduced production from the endothelium of nitric oxide, a specific chemical, puts the vessel at higher risk of abnormal thickening, greater clotting potential, and cholesterol deposition, all part of the atherosclerosis process," added Dr. Gutterman.

The study was published in the February edition of the scientific journal Hypertension.

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Medical College of Wisconsin (2008, March 3). Low-fat Diets More Likely To Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease Than Low-carb Diets. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/02/080229141756.htm