Low-Carb Diet Doesn't Raise Heart Risk

A store that sells specialized foods and cooking products essential to low-carb diets in Kailu, Hawaii, is shown in this 2004 file photo. Eating a low-carb, high-fat diet for years doesn't raise the risk of heart disease, a long-term study suggests, easing fears that the popular Atkins diet and similar regimens might set people up for eventual heart attacks. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni, FILE) (Str - AP)

American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Susan Moores, a dietitian in St. Paul, Minn., said that because the study only included women, many going through menopause and taking hormones, it is unclear how it applies to men.

For Moores, the key finding was that women reduced heart disease risk by eating more protein and fat from vegetable sources.

"That was the biggest, "Aha!'" she said.

Dr. Robert Eckel, immediate past president of the American Heart Association, said the study was well done, but noted that the nurses' recall of what they ate likely isn't perfect.

Eckel, an endocrinologist at University of Colorado School of Medicine, said many studies have shown heart disease risk is cut by eating less fat and more whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables _ the approach of the government's food pyramid. He said medical guidelines won't be changed by the new study, although it raises questions about the role of refined sugar.

___

On the Net: http://www.nejm.org

American Dietetic Association: http://www.eatright.org

American Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org