High saturated fat diets DECREASE heart disease risk factors

This study was published in Nutrition and Metabolism 2006, 3:7

Study title and authors:
Comparison of isocaloric very low carbohydrate/high saturated fat and high carbohydrate/lowsaturated fat diets on body composition and cardiovascular risk
Manny Noakes, Paul R Foster, Jennifer B Keogh, Anthony P James, John C Mamo and Peter M CliftonCSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition, Adelaide, Australia

This study can be accessed at: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/3/1/7

The objective of this study was to compare, the effects of a high saturated fat very low carbohydrate diet to 2 low saturated fat high carbohydrate diets on body composition and cardiovascular risk in 83 subjects average age 48 years.

The diets composed of:

(i) High saturated fat/very low carbohydrate diet: (4% carbohydrate, 35% protein, 61% fat, of which 20% was saturated)

(ii) High unsaturated fat diet: (50% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 30% fat, of which 6% was saturated)

(iii) Very low fat diet: (70% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 10% fat, of which 3% was saturated)

The study found:

(a) Subjects lost more weight on the high saturated fat/very low carbohydrate diet compared to the other 2 diets.

(b) (The good) High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol increased on the high saturated fat/very low carbohydrate diet, relative to the other 2 diets.

(c) (The bad) triglycerides were lowered on the high saturated fat/very low carbohydrate diet, but actually increased on the other 2 diets.

(d) The high saturated fat/very low carbohydrate diet lowered (the bad) fasting insulin levels by 33%. The high unsaturated fat diet lowered fasting insulin by 19% and the very low fat diet had no effect.

(e) The high saturated fat/very low carbohydrate diet also provoked significantly lower post meal glucose and insulin responses than the very low fat and high unsaturated fat meals.

The study shows that high saturated fat/very low carbohydrate diets decrease heart disease risk factors.