“Low-carb diet can increase bad cholesterol levels”

A low-carb diet may help people lose weight but it may not prove beneficial in lowering one’s cholesterol level.

According to a study conducted on people who ate a low carb diet with high fat and people who consumed a high carb diet for six weeks, the people who ate low carb diet with high fat diet lost the same amount of weight compared to their counterparts.

LDL known as the ‘bad cholesterol’ increases the risk of a heart disease because they are linked to clogged arteries. For people in the low carb group, the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol increased significantly while they fell in the high-carb group.

Having a low carb diet also increases the levels of free fatty acids which are released into the blood when the body breaks down stored fat. When fatty acid level increases the liver is unable to store glucose which results in raising up the sugar levels in the blood. This may develop diabetes. Hence one should think twice before going on a low carb diet.