While completely eliminating carbs from your diet is not healthy, piling them up does you no good either. A high-carbohydrate diet is useful for athletes such as marathon runners, according to the Marathon Training website. For everybody else, it may have more drawbacks than benefits. MayoClinic.com recommends that 45 to 65 percent of calories from your daily diet come from carbohydrates, so if you're eating more than that, you're on a high-carbohydrate diet.
Lower HDL Cholesterol
According to an article in "The New England Journal of Medicine," high-carbohydrate diets lower both LDL or bad cholesterol and HDL or good cholesterol. Low levels of HDL cholesterol can increase your risk for heart disease, even if your LDL numbers are within the normal range.
Weight Increase
Carbohydrate loading is a common technique used by runners and other endurance athletes to increase energy. According to Marathon Training, carbohydrates ingested are converted into glucose and glycogen by the body and used to provide a source of steady energy. This works well if you plan on a long, steady period of exercise, such as a two-hour run or bike ride. If you're sedentary or only exercise occasionally, loading up on carbs might lead to weight gain. When all the glucose and glycogen produced by the body is not burned through exercise, the body tries to store it in the liver and muscles. According to Diabetes Health, the amount of storage space for glycogen is limited, so the body converts any extra available into fat.
Higher Triglycerides
Not only do carbs lower good cholesterol, they also increase triglycerides. This combination seriously increases the risk of heart disease, including the risk of heart attack. According to Dr. William Davis in an article for Health Central, high triglycerides also cause an increase in abdominal fat.
References
- "The New England Journal of Medicine"; Should a Low-Fat, High-Carbohydrate Diet Be Recommended For Everyone?; Connor and Connor; 1997
- Marathon Training: The Science of Carbohydrate Loading
- Gathorade Sports Science Institute: Highs and Lows of Carbohydrate Diets
- MayoClinic.com: Nutrition and Healthy Eating
- Health Central: What Foods Increase Triglycerides?
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