Atkins-Type Diets Connected with Health Risks

A new study published online in British Medical Journal has found that women are at greater risk for heart disease and strokes if they consume a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, such as the popular Atkins regimen, rather than a plant-based diet. Although many people experience weight loss on high-protein diets, lead researcher Dr. Pagona Lagiou of University of Athens Medical School argues that cardiovascular health is put at risk as well. Lagiou also argues that plant-based sources of protein, such as nuts, are the only way that the diet remains “nutritionally acceptable” without increasing the likelihood of other health problems. The study used data collected over the course of 15 years from more than 43,000 Swedish women who were in their 30s and 40s at the beginning of the study, finding a 28 percent increase in the risk of cardiovascular conditions among those who followed the high-protein diet.