Which is healthier, a low carb diet or a high carb diet?

May 11, 2019 / BIOON / - when the media presents different findings in a controversial way, it's not surprising that people are confused about nutrition: which diet is better? Vegetarian or carnivorous? High fat or low fat diet? And the recent low carb or high carb diet? But as you dig deeper into the data, you'll find that many studies have surprisingly similar results - as have recent studies on carbohydrates and health Photo source: http://cn.bing.com most of the conflicting findings on carbohydrates come from two large observational studies published a year apart One is pure, the other is arc According to the title of the pure research report published in August 2017, a low carbohydrate, high fat diet is the answer to longevity and health But that finding was later overturned by research by ARIC, which led to headlines saying that a low carb diet can reduce your life expectancy by five years In fact, these "conflicting" studies have surprisingly similar results - they all found that getting about half of the energy from carbohydrates was associated with the lowest risk of early death The idea that the right amount of carbohydrates is the best for your health is supported by a pure research press release from the University of McMaster in Canada, where the researchers are based, and a report from Science Press So where did the New York Times headline "new research tends to be fat rather than carbohydrates" come from? The pure study investigated the eating habits of about 136000 people from 18 countries and examined their health seven years later The study found that 20% of people with the lowest carbohydrate intake had a 28% reduced risk of death during the study period However, 46% of the calories in the lowest carbohydrate group still come from carbohydrates, which is no different from the situation recommended in the UK guidelines As a result, the study was not more likely to be fat than carbohydrate, as the title suggests Photo source: http://cn.bing.com what is a high carbohydrate diet or a low carbohydrate diet? Before considering the optimal intake of carbohydrates, we need to know how to define a low carbohydrate diet and a high carbohydrate diet Studies usually describe carbohydrate intake as a percentage of energy, not as grams There is no uniform definition of low carbohydrate or high carbohydrate intake, but 45% of the total energy intake is generally considered as high intake, and less than 26% is considered as low intake However, the research of pure and arc uses different definitions Pure describes more than 60% of carbohydrate intake as high carbohydrate, and links this level to an increased risk of premature death Taking ARIC as an example, the company conducted a 25-year survey on the eating habits of about 15000 people in the United States, and believed that more than 70% of the people's eating habits belong to high intake Interestingly, this change was also found when it defined low carbohydrate intake, which in the arc study was classified as any carbohydrate intake less than 40% of total energy This is much higher than what many people who advocate a low carb diet suggest, usually 5-10% of their dietary energy, or about 50 grams a day Although ARIC's paper discusses low carb diets and carbohydrate restriction, it does not look at people who actively pursue a low carb diet to control weight or type 2 diabetes, which is very different In this case, evidence suggests that a well planned personalized approach, including a very low carbohydrate diet, can be safe and efficient Both arc and pure studies found that carbohydrates provide about 50% of energy, the lowest risk of death during the study Anything above or below this level is associated with an increased risk of premature death Photo source: http://cn.bing.com moderate diet seems to be the key, not only carbohydrate, but also fat In-depth study of ARIC research shows that if the diet is more plant-based, even if it contains more protein and fat, such as a diet rich in avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, the potential negative effects of low carbohydrate diet can be alleviated This shows that there are not only carbohydrates, proteins and fats in our food The logical conclusion from these studies is that we should think more about the overall diet, rather than a single macronutrient Indeed, this is the proposal of the food and agricultural organization of the United Nations Reference materials: [1] low carb versus high carb – is the evidence really contractor? [2] food based geography guidelines [3] implausible discussions in saturated fat 'research'; definitive solutions won't come from another million editors (or a million views of one) [4] Sara B seidelmann et al Binary carbohydrate intake intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis The Lancet Public Health DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30135-X
【5】Richard D.Feinman et al Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: Critical review and evidence base Author links open overlay panel Nutrition https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011 【6】 Carbohydrates and Health 【7】 Moderate consumption of fats, carbohydrates best for health, international study shows 【8】 International study shows moderate consumption of fats and carbohydrates best for health 【9】 Low-carb, high-fat diets could knock years off lifespan, 25-year study suggests 【10】 Low-fat diet could kill you, major study shows 【11】Mahshid Dehghan et al Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study The Lancet DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32252-3