Heart-Disease: The risk of ischemic heart disease with low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets

There is convincing scientific evidence that type of fat have a more
important role in determining the risk of coronary heart
disease(CHD) than total amount of fat in the diet.(1) However,
because of misleading presentation of epidemiological data by some
authors(1), the readers might be left with the impression that
low-fat, high- carbohydrate diet is the best option for patients
with CHD risk.
In fact, high- carbohydrate diets, in the absence of weight loss,
can lead to both elevated triglyceride and reduced HDL cholesterol,
effects that may be associated with increased risk for CHD.(2)
Although these effects may be lessened with dietary fiber and
moderate physical activity, they appear to be worse among
individuals with insulin resistance.(3)
As reviewed by Kris-Etherton(4) adverse metabolic effects of low fat
diet do not occur with substitution of monounsaturated (MUFA) or
polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids for saturated and trans-fatty
acids. This is also the case for individuals with diabetes, with the
added benefit of better glycaemic control.(5)