People with high cholesterol should avoid carbohydrates and not saturated fats

Following a low-carbohydrate diet is also more effective for people at higher risk of heart disease.

People with high cholesterol should avoid carbohydrates and not saturated fats, according to an international team of experts in heart disease and nutrition, including five cardiologists in a study published in the journal 'BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine'. For a long time, different organizations, including the American Heart Association, have suggested that people with familial hypercholesterolemia avoid eating foods of animal origin, such as meat, eggs and cheese, as well as coconut oil.

After reviewing the dietary guidelines for these patients, the researchers stated that they have not found any justification for health professionals to recommend a diet low in saturated fats. "For the past 80 years, people with familial hypercholesterolemia have been told to lower their cholesterol with a diet low in saturated fat. Our study has shown that a more 'heart-healthy' diet is low in sugar, but not in saturated fats," experts have asserted.

Therefore, researchers point out that following a low-carbohydrate diet is most effective for people at higher risk of heart disease, such as overweight, hypertensive and diabetic people. Their findings are consistent with another paper recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which provided evidence that foods that raise blood sugar, such as bread, potatoes and sweets, should be minimized, in instead of tropical oils and foods of animal origin.