Low carbohydrate diet: are concerns with saturated fat, lipids, and cardiovascular disease risk justified?

Purpose Of Review: There is an extensive literature on the efficacy of the low carbohydrate diet (LCD) for weight loss, and in the improvement of markers of the insulin-resistant phenotype, including a reduction in inflammation, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. However, critics have expressed concerns that the LCD promotes unrestricted consumption of saturated fat, which may increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels. In theory, the diet-induced increase in LDL-C increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present review provides an assessment of concerns with the LCD, which have focused almost entirely on LDL-C, a poor marker of CVD risk. We discuss how critics of the LCD have ignored the literature demonstrating that the LCD improves the most reliable CVD risk factors.

Recent Findings: Multiple longitudinal clinical trials in recent years have extended the duration of observations on the safety and effectiveness of the LCD to 2-3 years, and in one study on epileptics, for 10 years.

Summary: The present review integrates a historical perspective on the LCD with a critical assessment of the persistent concerns that consumption of saturated fat, in the context of an LCD, will increase risk for CVD.