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March 15, 2006 | Issue 56 |
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The Right Carbs - Healthy Vs. Boxed
It is well established that a diet low in cholesterol and fat, particularly saturated fat, reduces blood levels of cholesterol, which reduces the risk of a heart attack. Now research has found that picking the right carbs to go with that low-fat diet – carbs like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans – will reduce cholesterol levels even more.*
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Scientists from Stanford University Medical School randomly assigned 120 men and women, ages 30 to 65 years, all with high LDL “bad” cholesterol (130 to 190 mg/dL), to one of two low-fat diets. Both diets had identical amounts of total fat (30% of calories), saturated fat (10% of calories), cholesterol (200mg daily), and carbohydrates (55% of calories).
But the type of carbohydrates in the two diets varied dramatically. In the first group, called the Low-Fat Diet, the participants ate carbs that, as the authors described, “are typical of a U.S. high-carb diet”: lots of highly refined convenience or boxed foods like SnackWell’s cookies, Baked Tostitos, Rice Krispies cereal, white bread, frozen waffles, and low-fat frozen lasagna.
The second group, called the Low-Fat Plus Diet, minimized the boxed carbs and instead focused on high amounts of natural, fiber-rich carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.
At the beginning of the study and four weeks later, at the end of the study, the researchers measured blood levels of total and LDL cholesterol. They reported that the 60 people in the Low-Fat Plus Diet had double the reductions in total and LDL cholesterol compared to the 60 people in the Low-Fat Diet.
Among the fruit-, vegetable-, bean- and whole-grain-dieters, total cholesterol fell on average 17.6%; LDL levels dropped nearly 14%. In the boxed-, white flour- and sugar- group, total cholesterol was reduced by just 9%; LDL fell only 7%.
In the 1980s and 90s, federal guidelines for cholesterol management focused primarily on avoiding saturated fat and cholesterol, which scientists are now realizing may have been “overly simplistic,” noted lead investigator Christopher Gardner, PhD, and colleagues. Later studies, including this Stanford study, show that the effectiveness of dietary therapy...
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Pritikin Perspective - Healthy Living Made Easier
Pritikin Perspective is a publication for Alumni of the Pritikin Longevity Center. It is dedicated to helping people make healthy changes in their lives. The articles in this publication should not be considered specific medical advice, as each individual circumstance is different. You are strongly encouraged to seek medical advice before beginning a program of diet and exercise.
Editor/Writer: Eugenia Killoran.
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