Low-Carb, High-Protein Diets Increase the Risk of Death

By Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Over the years, there have probably been as many column inches written about the pros and cons of low-carb, high-protein diets such as Atkins, as there have been inches lost from the nation's waistlines.

Despite their fall in popularity in the last few years, research continues to be carried out to help identify what effect they can have on health, particularly if they are followed in the long-term.

The latest study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has found that eating a diet low in carbs and high in protein for a prolonged period of time is associated with a higher risk of death.

The study used data from a massive study called EPIC, the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer, which includes more than half a million healthy people in 10 European countries.

This study looked at data from Greek participants. Almost 23,000 healthy Greek adults were recruited to the study in the '90s and were followed up, on average, almost five year's later.

Details of the participants' diets were collected at the start of the study by questionnaire. Those following a habitual low-carb, high-protein diet had around 20 percent of their energy from protein and 25 percent from carbs. During the follow up period, 455 people died.

The researchers found that higher intakes of carbohydrates were linked with a lower rate of death, whereas higher intakes of protein were linked to an increased death rate, although this latter finding wasn't statistically significant.

When low-carb, high-protein diets were looked at together there was a 22 percent increase in the risk of death, significantly from cardiovascular disease.

WLR says:

This study provides yet more evidence that it's probably best to avoid extreme Atkins type diets and instead focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet that contains a wide range of foods.

This study doesn't explore the reasons why a low-carb, high-protein diet appears to increase the risk of dying - it simply highlights a trend, particularly in relation to cardiovascular disease.

There may be many reasons why this type of diet is linked to an increase in mortality. For example, low-carb intakes often go hand-in-hand with high-fat diets, and research shows that large amounts of fat can increase the risk of heart disease.

Similarly, diets that limit carbs, usually also limit wholegrains, and research shows that good amounts of these - particularly three servings a day - can help to keep the heart healthy.

Skipping carbs can also lead to lower intakes of the vitamins and minerals that they supply such as B vitamins and selenium, both of which have been implicated in keeping the heart healthy.

It's worth bearing in mind that this study doesn't mean you'll keel over if you've been avoiding carbs and filling up on protein. But if you've been eating a diet like this to lose or maintain your weight, it might be worth considering adding some good-quality carbs back into your diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, pulses, potatoes and fruit and veg.

To stay in the best possible health, have loads of energy and to ensure good intakes of vitamins and minerals that do everything from give you clear skin to strong bones, health experts recommend eating a diet that contains good amounts of starchy carbohydrates, moderate intakes of protein and lower fat intakes. Better still, most people find they still lose weight on a diet like this - and can include their favourite foods, whether it's a sandwich, spaghetti Bolognese or jacket potato.