[apl]

A simple explanation for this: cutting carbs is tricky and requires a lot of careful planning etc., increasing the likelihood that people actually stay under their maintenance caloric intake. It doesn't really matter how you do it. As long as your expenditure is larger than your intake, you'll lose weight.

In any case, your point doesn't say anything about the healthiness of carbohydrates.

[mindcrime]

In any case, your point doesn't say anything about the healthiness of carbohydrates.

There's evidence (sorry, I don't have the citations in front of me) to link carbohydrate intake to increased triglycerides, higher HDL, and more inflamation - pretty much the opposite of "healthy". OTOH, there's reason to think that a low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet may improve lipid profiles, and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Now, I can't say with certainty that a low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet is better (or worse) than a high carb, low fat diet, or a high protein diet, etc. And I think part of the problem is simply that when you talk about human health and the connection between health and diet, there are just too many variables, and it's hard to control for them all. Hence the fact that you can find research endorsing a number of different diets, which appear diametrically opposed to each other.

[atomical]

http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=cholesterol

A high fat diet increases HDL. If a person is overweight their HDL may drop if they experience weight loss, but it will not drop as much as someone who is on a plant-based diet. About 75% of the people who die from coronary artery disease have what is considered optimal cholesterol. Your cholesterol has to be much lower than what is considered optimal to lower your risk.

http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/cholesterol-and-hea...

"On July 21, 1990, The Lancet published the findings of Dean Ornish, M.D., who demonstrated that heart disease can actually be reversed without medicines.13 Until then, most doctors were not even attempting to reverse heart disease, even though it was, as it is now, the most common cause of death. Most believed that the plaques of cholesterol and other substances that clog the arteries to the heart would not go away. The traditional way to remove them was to wait until they became severe enough to warrant a bypass or angioplasty.

At the University of California in San Francisco, Dr. Ornish tested the theory that a more potent diet, along with other lifestyle changes, might actually reverse heart disease. He selected patients who had plaques that were clearly visible on angiograms and split the patients into two groups. Half were referred to a control group in which they received the standard care that doctors prescribe for heart patients. The other half began a vegetarian diet in which less than 10 percent of calories were contributed by fat. They were also asked to begin a program of modest exercise and learned to manage stress through a variety of simple techniques. Of course, smoking was not permitted.

Dr. Ornish’s patients started to feel better almost immediately, and continued to improve over the course of the year. They had previously been struggling with the crushing chest pain of heart disease, but “most of them became essentially pain-free,” Dr. Ornish said, “even though they were doing more activities, going back to work, and doing things that they hadn’t been able to do, in some cases, for years.”"

[mindcrime]

This is exactly what I mean... there's evidence for mutually incompatible positions. I had a typo in my comment above, BTW, and it's too late to edit it. But that should say that high carb intake has been associated with an increase in LDL, not HDL.

But there are so many different diets and so many conflicting studies, it's hard to know what to do. For me, I'm leaning towards going on the ketogenic diet, but I'm waiting to meet with a local doctor who specializes in that, before making a definite decision.

[atomical]

High carb intake is associated with an increase in LDL in obese populations that consume a high amount of processed sugars. The starch diet is not a diet high in processed sugars.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9805219

I don't understand why you would pick a diet that is known to raise LDL levels when Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn are using a plant-based diet to treat those with cardiovascular disease with great success.

[mindcrime]

I don't understand why you would pick a diet that is known to raise LDL levels when Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn are using a plant-based diet to treat those with cardiovascular disease with great success.

The keto diet is actually known for improving lipid profiles, especially in terms of increasing HDL, lowering LDL particle size, and lowering triglycerides. Some people do see their total cholesterol go up a bit, but the thinking is that HDL/LDL ratio and LDL particle size matter more than total cholesterol count.

But, for me personally, I haven't made a final decision yet. I've read a little on the Ornish diet and am somewhat intrigued by that as well.

At the very least, I think we can all agree that high amounts of processed sugar is bad. :-)

[atomical]

Yes, but what about high LDL and heart disease risk with high fat diets? The paleo and keto folks completely dismiss this.