The 'truth' about low-carb diets

[TonyHancock]

The inverted commas around truth are mine, but the article can be found in the Daily Telegraph. Sadly it is behind a paywall but the journalist has enlisted Miguel Toribio-Mateas, director and chair of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine to offer his and presumably the association's view and advice.

It is a wishy washy article and I as I read it neither condemns nor approves, but is does however continue a myth that low carb diets are high in protein and refers back to a study covered in the previous days Daily Telegraph "proving" a link between low carb - high protein diets and heart problems. (The study of 19 (yes 19) people was conducted over 6 days. (yes you read that right a whole 6 days)).

What is interesting is the comment section. The previous piece and this article are, for the main, roundly criticised for inaccuracy.

 

[Guzzler]

6 days and 19 people.... well, I'm convinced. Pass us the doughnuts, please.

 

[Lamont D]

Get the chippy on the phone please!

At last proof that chip butties are a healthy diet!

 

[dbr10]

Get the chippy on the phone please!

At last proof that chip butties are a healthy diet!

My Sister met a guy on holiday. His BG was 7.9 so he thought he should have pint of coke and a chip butty.

 

[Lamont D]

Best ever 'healthy' food ever, hence the Queens award for industry to the chip buttie mines in knotty ash!

 

[xfieldok]

Wow! I save been doing it all wrong these past few months. Ok KFC here I come, bargain bucket, side order of hot wings and the biggest bottle of coke I can find. I don't think so.

There should be a law against such claims using such insignificant data. Face cream ads are one thing, but this is something else altogether.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Low carb high protein diet? No thanks. A low carb high fat diet? Yes please.

 

[MrTickle]

Wow! I save been doing it all wrong these past few months. Ok KFC here I come, bargain bucket, side order of hot wings and the biggest bottle of coke I can find. I don't think so.

Oddly, KFC (without the chips) is one of the takeaways that following repeated testing, doesn't seem to have much of a negative impact on my blood sugar, and despite the higher carbs, keeps me in ketosis. I can only assume the fat content flattens out the spike.

As for the article, it's awful. The source study doesn't even reach the conclusion the article suggests, and actually states that proteins from animal sources do NOT increase heart disease risk. In addition, the study method was to enrol people in 1984 who all filled out a '4-day' diet record in order to create a baseline, the study then followed up only by checking heart failure records on national registers...so NOT taking into account any dietary changes from those people during a THIRTY YEAR period!

Madness.