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posted by martyb on Sunday August 19 2018, @03:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the have-a-healthy-sandwich-for-lunch dept.

A low-carb or high-carb diet raises your risk of death, a new study suggests, with people eating the food staple in moderation seeing the greatest benefits to their health.

Less than 40% or more than 70% of your energy -- or calories -- coming from carbohydrates was associated with the greatest risk of mortality. Eating moderate levels between that range offered the best options for a healthy lifespan.

The lowest risk of an early death was seen where carbs made up 50-55% of a person's diet, according to the study published Thursday.

However, the definition of a low-carb diet had some caveats as not all diets were equal.

[...] "On an 'average' 2,000 kcal-a-day intake, a diet of 30% calories from carbs equates to only 150g a day, with sugars (natural or 'added') contributing around 50g of that total. With a mere 100g of complex carb a day to play with, a lower intake of cereals, grains, and starchy vegetables is inevitable," said Catherine Collins, a dietitian with the UK's National Health Service, who was not involved in the study.

[...] The findings "will disappoint those who, from professional experience, will continue to defend their low carb cult, but contributes to the overwhelming body of evidence that supports a balanced approach to caloric intake recommended globally by public health bodies," Collins added.

[...] the researchers recognize that their findings are purely observational at this stage and cannot prove a cause and effect of eating too little or too many carbohydrates. They also highlight that low-carb diets in the West often result in people eating more animal fats and meat, rather than more vegetables, fruit, and grains.

In addition, the findings might be less generalizable to Asian populations where diets are high in carbohydrates, over 60% carbohydrates on average, but people also often consume fish rather than meat, according to the authors.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/health/low-carb-high-carbohydrate-diet-risk-of-death-intl/
Study: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667%2818%2930135-X/fulltext

Does anyone outside of academia consider a 40% carbohydrate diet to be "low-carb"?


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  • (Score: 2) by requerdanos on Monday August 20 2018, @01:10AM (3 children)

    by requerdanos (5997) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 20 2018, @01:10AM (#723557) Journal

    we know for certain... that chemicals should be kept to a minimum

    While this is a common belief, it can only be espoused in ignorance of what a chemical [thoughtco.com] is, or that all food [theconversation.com] is made up of various chemicals and nothing else, or that cooking [seriouseats.com] is a largely [lardbucket.org] chemical [bbc.co.uk] process.

    Select your chemicals carefully, perhaps, but that's just a restatement of advice to select your foods carefully, and advice in that area is certainly observed to vary.

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  • (Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Monday August 20 2018, @02:58AM (1 child)

    by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Monday August 20 2018, @02:58AM (#723603)

    I'm sure he was referring to the artificial preservatives, flavor and color enhancements.
    While probably not true on FB, on here I think the majority tend to know that all life is chemical reaction.

    Speaking of which, got to finish grilling a 2" piece of carcinogenic delight with a homemade Carolina Reaper sauce.
    Enjoy your time here, eat well, be active and remember, the leading cause of death is birth!

    --
    Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
    • (Score: 2) by requerdanos on Monday August 20 2018, @11:21AM

      by requerdanos (5997) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 20 2018, @11:21AM (#723722) Journal

      we know for certain... that chemicals should be kept to a minimum

      [No, foods are made of chemicals]

      I'm sure he was referring to the artificial preservatives, flavor and color enhancements.

      And someone else is sure that it refers to refined sugars, and someone else is sure that it refers vaguely to processed foods as opposed to fresh. Etc. At best such an insipid statement serves as a meaningless Rorschach test for the reader's prejudices--and that's the nicest thing you can say about it.

      If you keep chemicals to a minimum, you die. If you want to keep only selected chemicals to a minimum, you have to specify which ones.

  • (Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday August 21 2018, @12:14AM

    by legont (4179) on Tuesday August 21 2018, @12:14AM (#723977)

    That's the most typical BS in the business.

    The issue is that we do not know (and unlikely to ever know) what combinations of chemicals are good or bad for us.

    Hence the strategy. If a cow ate some and is still alive we eat cow - good.

    If the cow ate grass that was still alive - even better.

    If the grass have been alive at the place for 1000 years and no cow died - perfect.

    Any industrial chemical added should be tested on the chemist's children for 10 fucking generations before allowed into the diet.

    Yes, it is not affordable for the 99% percent of the population, but some can afford it and they should.

    --
    "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.