Reduce carbohydrates to improve cholesterol

Reducing carbohydrate intake helps in lowering cholesterol, even if a person doesn't lose weight.People should not hasten to throw low carbohydrate diets away and move on to the next diet, as limiting carbohydrates can be beneficial even if people aren't successful at losing weight.Scientists believe that carbohydrates, especially simple sugars, can cause unhealthy changes in blood fats by causing fat to collect in the liver just as it does on one's thighs or belly. These fats eventually find their way into the bloodstream. Cutting down on carbohydrates reduces the fat levels in the blood and may also boost the body's ability to break down fats that do reach the bloodstream.To investigate whether moderate reduction in carbohydrate intake might affect cholesterol levels, researchers from the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in Oakland, California analysed a group of 178 overweight men who ate a standard diet including 54 percent energy intake from carbohydrates for one week. The men were then randomly assigned to continue the same diet, or switch to a 39 percent carbohydrate diet, or a 26 percent carbohydrate diet for three weeks. For an additional five weeks, men ate a similar diet but their calorie intakes were reduced to produce weight loss. In the final four weeks of the study, their energy intake was adjusted for weight stabilisation.Compared to the men who stayed on the standard diet, those with the lowest carbohydrate intake showed reductions in harmful triglycerides and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. They also enjoyed an increase in the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to total cholesterol levels, and other improvements in their blood fat profile. These healthy changes were seen whether or not the men were eating less saturated fat, and whether or not they lost weight.The 54 percent carbohydrate diet resembles the normal diet many of us consume by following standard dietary recommendations. People can cut their carbohydrate intake to a level similar to that used in the study by avoiding the kinds of food we don't need in our diet; for example sugary foods, white rice, pasta, white bread, etc. This type of diet is needs to be done in consultation with a dietician to get the proper balance.