A high-fat diet can help you live longer - but carbohydrates linked to higher death risk
FOODS such as meat and cheese are good for you compared to carbohydrates, says a study.
Eating fats as a opposed to lots of carbohydrates could be the key to living longer
Eating fat in moderation can even help you live longer.
The research turns decades of conventional advice on its head. Diets loaded with carbs such as pasta, bread and rice were associated with a 28 per cent higher risk of death compared to low carbohydrate diets.
But high-fat diets were linked with a 23 per cent lower risk of death compared to low-fat diets.
The global study provides the clearest sign yet that you are what you eat, with experts saying “real foods” such as meat, cheese, eggs and fish provided a significant health boost.
Research on more than 135,000 people showed diets containing moderate amounts of fat, as well as fruit and vegetables, lead to a lower risk of death.
Dr Mahshid Dehghan, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, said: “Low-fat diets ignore the fact that most people’s diets in low and middle income countries are very high in carbohydrates, which seem to be linked to worse outcomes.”
'Real foods' such as fish can provide a significant health boost
Experts said the best diets will include a balance of carbohydrates and fats – approximately 50-55 per cent carbohydrates and about 35 per cent total fat, including both saturated and unsaturated.
Although the study did not look at trans fats, typically found in processed foods, the evidence remains overwhelmingly clear they are unhealthy.
Experts said the best diets include a balance of carbohydrates and fats
Dr Aseem Malhotra advises cutting down on sugar
The study, published in The Lancet, chimes with advice dispensed by campaigning British cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra who has angered health bosses saying “fat is your friend”.
He said: “This is the strongest evidence yet that when it comes to improving population health a low fat and saturated fat, high carbohydrate diet, is harmful.
“As I tell my patients, cutting down on sugar, bread, pasta and rice is the first dietary change that should be implemented to optimise health. The new public health message needs to be: Stop fearing fat and cut out carbs to live longer.”
Science educator explains what carbs do to the body
Existing guidelines suggest as much as two thirds of daily calories can come from carbohydrates while less than 10 per cent from saturated fats.
Critics argue the advice is outdated and harmful.
Dr Malhotra added: “The change in dietary advice to promote low-fat foods is perhaps the biggest mistake in modern medical history.”
The findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona.