Carbohydrates and HDL (Page 1 of 5)

In the pre-Atkins era, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets were all the rage. However, proponents of low-carb, high-fat diets have pointed out that high consumption of carbohydrates can lower blood levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) -- the "good" cholesterol -- over time.

Now a new study suggests that carbohydrate-based dips in HDL pose no real threat to health, because blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol, tend to fall in equal proportion at the same time.

"If that ratio doesn't change when HDL goes down, then there's no real reason for concern," said Dr. Alice H. Lichtenstein, director of the cardiovascular nutrition laboratory at Tufts University and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association (AHA).

Through the 1990s, food products with labels proclaiming them "nonfat" or "low-fat" were ubiquitous in American supermarkets, as consumers sought to trim waistlines and improve cardiovascular health by avoiding fat in favor of carbs.

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