More evidence

Today an article in Archives of Internal Medicine on the benefits of a low carb diet with a vegetarian twist.

It benefitted blood pressure, apolipoproteins and the ratio between total and ldl cholesterol.

More proof that carbs are not good for us.

I've been looking at articles from as far back as 2000, regarding things like "the metabolic syndrome, LDL particle size, and atheroclerosis: the Atherosclerosis and Insulin Resistance
(AIR) study". This was the first study to show a relationship between having small LDL particle size, metabolic syndrome and thickening of plaques in the arterial walls carotid and femoral arteries. And smaller LDL particles are not good.

Another article from the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology journal, called "Change in LDL particle size is associated with change in plasma triglyceride concentration", talks about how LDL particle size is inversely related to plasma triglyceride concentrations, so the higher your triglycerides, the smaller the size of your LDL particles. It seems the smaller particles are the ones found in plaque folks.

I'm painting a picture here.

So how to lower your plasma triglycerides? Eat fewer carbs. In Canada the RDA for carbs is about 300 g. On South Beach, I would say you get less than 20g a day during Phase I, probably 50 during phase II and less than 100g during Phase III and the rest of your life, depending on whether you gain weight or not.

Exercise is also good for you. It burns whatever glucose you might have in your system and gets you into fat burning mode. It also increases your fitness level and endurance.

Next post: insulin levels and breast cancer