Substituting carbohydrates could be healthy choice

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Swapping some carbohydrate for fat or protein could improve cholesterol and blood pressure, according to a new study.
There has long been interest in the optimal diet to prevent heart disease, with the emphasis being traditionally upon low fat. Now a team at Johns Hopkins University puts the focus on reducing carbohydrate, in a new study.

They compared three dietary approaches for their impact on blood pressure and cholesterol. These were the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) approach with is carb rich, a protein rich diet, where half the protein was from plants, and a diet rich in monounsaturated fat. All diets were reduced in sodium and saturated fat, while being rich in fruits, vegetables and minerals.

The participants all had mild high blood pressure and they ate one of the three diets for six weeks. On each dietary plan, blood pressure and cholesterol were lower than at the start. But the researchers found the diets that replaced carbs with plant protein and monounsaturated fat tended to have rather more impact in terms of blood pressure and cholesterol lowering. It may be helpful, therefore, to include nuts - a plant protein - and olive oil - a monounsaturated fat - more often in your diet. However, more research is needed to see how well the results of this study apply to the general population.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 16th November 2005 Volume 294 pages 2455-2464

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