Many critics of the Atkins diet claim that this low-carb diet is dangerous for heart health because of the high amount of total fat, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol it provides. However, a meta-analysis comprising over 20 studies and almost 350,000 subjects followed for up to 23 years published in January 2010 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" showed that the consumption of saturated fat was actually not correlated with the risk of suffering from cardiovascular or coronary heart disease.
Atkins Diet Program
The Atkins program constitutes a low-carb eating plan to help dieters lose weight and excess body fat. This program restricts the consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods, which include bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, beans, lentils, breakfast cereals, granola bars, crackers, muffins, fruits, milk, yogurt, juices and other sweetened beverages as well as all forms of sugar. Instead, the Atkins diet promotes the consumption of non-starchy veggies, protein from eggs, cheese, meat, fish and poultry, as well as fats from butter, mayonnaise, bacon, heavy cream salad dressings, nuts, olive oil and coconut oil, which makes this eating plan significantly higher in fat, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol compared to the widely recommended Food Pyramid based low-fat diet.
LDL Cholesterol
The American Heart Association explains that LDL cholesterol is the "bad" type of cholesterol because of its atherogenic properties and recommends to keep these levels below 100 mg/dL. However, Jeff S. Volek, associate professor at the University of Connecticut and author of the book "The New Atkins for a New You" released in 2010, explains that other markers, in addition to LDL cholesterol levels, need to be evaluated to estimate the cardiovascular risk in the August 2005 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism." It is also important to consider the size of the LDL particles. Low-fat diets rich in carbohydrates tend to lead to the formation of small, dense LDL particles, which have been shown to be more atherogenic, while high saturated fat, low-carb Atkins-style diets result in large and fluffy LDL particles, associated with a lower risk.
HDL Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol, categorized "good" by the American Heart Association, appears to be heart protective and levels above 60 mg/dL are desirable for both men and women. Eating a low-fat diet, especially with a low saturated fat content, decreases the levels of heart-protective HDL cholesterol, while studies have shown over and over that replacing carbohydrates with fat, especially saturated fat as is advised in the Atkins diet, boost HDL cholesterol levels, as explained by Volek in the August 2005 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism." A 24-week study also showed that obese and diabetic participants raised their HDL levels by 5.6 mg/dL after following a low-carb diet similar to the induction phase of the Atkins diet, compared to absolutely no change observed in the low-fat low-glycemic calorie-restricted group, as reported in the December 2008 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism."
Triglycerides
Triglycerides constitutes another important marker to evaluate the cardiovascular risk profile and the American Heart Association recommends keeping these levels below 150 mg/dL. Elevated triglycerides levels are also part of the key metabolic features observed with the metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart problems. Volek reports that low-fat diets, by decreasing saturated fat intake and increasing carbohydrate intake, results in higher triglycerides levels in the August 2005 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism." This is why the Atkins diet, by promoting a higher saturated fat and lower carbohydrate intake, is beneficial to bring triglycerides levels within target and reduce your risk of heart diseases.
References
- Atkins: The Program
- American Heart Association: LDL and HDL Cholesterol: What's Bad and What's Good?
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus; Eric C. Westman, et al.; December 2008
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The case for not restricting saturated fat on a low carbohydrate diet; Jeff S. Volek, et al.; August 2005
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease; Patty W. Siri-Tarino, et al.; January 2010
