Much has been said about the benefits of low-carb diets. According to a latest study, people who cut back on carbohydrates run a risk of increasing premature death if they do not choose their carbs well. The U.S based study revealed, that a low-carb diet is more effective if you include more vegetables and nuts instead of meat and cheese. The study aimed to investigate the long term of cutting carbs, or what types of foods people should eat instead for optimal health. Low-carb diets is said to boost short-term weight loss and stave off risk factors for premature death induced by diabetes.
For the study that was published in The Lancet Public Health, researchers followed more than 15,000 adults ages 45 to 65 for about 25 years. During this period, 6,283 died.The findings revealed that participants who got 50 to 55 per cent of their calories from carbohydrates had a lower risk of death as compared to people who had much lower or higher carbohydrate intake.
Low- carb intake and especially the kind of foods that were included in the diet were associated with very different types of outcomes. "Low carbohydrate dietary patterns that replaced carbohydrate with animal-derived protein or fat were associated with greater mortality risk, whereas this association was reversed when energy from carbohydrate was replaced with plant-derived protein or fat," said lead study author Dr. Sara Seidelmann of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Plant-based proteins may help people live longer by reducing inflammation and so-called oxidative stress, suggested the researchers. On the other hand processed meats give rise to inflammation and oxidative stress.
From age 50, the average life expectancy was an additional 33 years for people with moderate carbohydrate intake, meaning carbs accounted for 50 to 55 per cent of their calories, revealed the study.
On the other hand, a diet rich in high carbohydrate, with 70 per cent of calories coming from high carb food source, was associated with average life expectancy of about 32 years. Low carbohydrate intake - representing less than 40 per cent of calories - was associated with life expectancy of 29 years.
The researchers only assessed eating habits twice, at the start of the study and again six years later. It is possible that participants' diets may have shifted over time.
(With Inputs ANI)