The “keto” or ketogenic diet, which emphasizes consuming lots of fat and few carbohydrates, has grown in acceptance. A ketogenic diet, however, may be linked to greater levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood and a twofold increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session in conjunction with the World Congress of Cardiology. occurrences such heart attacks, strokes, angina, and clogged arteries requiring stenting.

Iulia Iatan, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, is the study’s lead author. “Our study indicated that regular intake of a self-reported low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet was connected with higher levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and increased risk of heart disease. According to our research, this is one of the first studies to look at the relationship between this kind of food pattern and cardiovascular outcomes.

The body uses carbohydrates as its main source of energy for daily activities. The use of carbs (such as bread, pasta, rice, and other grains, baked goods, chip products, and high-fat fruits and vegetables) is restricted on low-carb, high-fat diets like the ketogenic diet.

When the body is deprived of carbohydrates, it must begin burning fat for energy. The ketogenic, or “ketone producer,” term refers to the chemicals created when fat is broken down in the liver, which the body uses as fuel when there are no carbs available.

Generally speaking, proponents of a ketogenic diet advise keeping protein to 20% to 30% of total daily calories, keeping carbohydrates to 10% of total calories, and receiving 60% to 80% of daily calories from fat.

Past research has demonstrated that certain persons may have higher levels of LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, when following a low-carb diet. The consequences of a low-carb diet on the risk of heart disease and stroke have not been sufficiently researched, Iatan affirmed, despite the fact that high LDL cholesterol is a known risk factor for heart disease.

For the purposes of this study, a ketogenic diet was defined as one in which no more than 25% of daily calories or energy were obtained from carbs and more than 45% of daily calories were obtained from fat.

Further research should be done on the data, particularly in light of the growing popularity of these diets.

Because it contains fewer calories from fat and more carbohydrates than a true ketogenic diet, the researchers called it a “keto-like” diet. They described the “conventional diet” as the way of eating that people who don’t fit these requirements and have more rounded eating patterns follow.

They chose 70,684 participants from the UK Biobank’s database of more than 500,000 adults who had been followed for at least 10 years and who completed a 24-hour diet questionnaire while also donating blood to test their cholesterol levels.

The study’s concept of a “keto-like diet” was applied to 305 participants, who were identified based on their questionnaire responses. 1,220 participants who said they followed a conventional diet were matched with these participants based on age and gender.

IMC

The average body mass index (BMI) for those following a low-carb diet was 27.7 as opposed to 26.7 for those following a conventional diet. A BMI between 25 and 30 falls into the overweight category.

Those who followed a “keto-like” diet had considerably greater levels of LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apoB), the protein that covers LDL and other atherogenic lipoprotein particles, than those who followed a conventional diet.

Iatan cites earlier research that suggested high apoB may be a more accurate indicator of the risk of cardiovascular disease than elevated LDL cholesterol.

People on a low-carb diet had a two-fold increased risk of a number of major cardiovascular events, such as blocked arteries that required stenting procedures, heart attack, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease after an average of 11.8 years of follow-up and after adjusting for other risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and smoking. Overall, 9.8% of people who followed a low-carb diet had a new cardiac incident, compared to 4.3% of those who followed a conventional diet, tripling their risk.

Iatan cautions, “We observed that among people on this ketogenic diet, those with the highest levels of LDL cholesterol had the highest risk of experiencing a cardiovascular incident.

These findings “indicate that anyone considering following a low-carb diet should be aware that doing so could increase their LDL cholesterol levels,” the researcher warns. He emphasizes that they should speak with their doctor before beginning this dietary pattern and that they should keep their levels under control while on the diet.

The results also imply that not everyone reacts to a low-carb diet in the same way.

The subjects only supplied dietary data at one time point, which is a study limitation that must be taken into account when interpreting the results. Furthermore, despite the fact that this questionnaire has undergone considerable validation, self-reports of food consumption may be unreliable.

Due to the observational nature of the study, a cause-and-effect relationship between food and an increased risk of serious cardiac events cannot be established. Iatan warns, however, that given the growing popularity of these diets, the findings merit additional research in prospectively planned studies.