If you're thinking of jumping on the low-carb diet bandwagon or have already jumped, consider this: new research findings reveal that vegetable-based low-carb diets may be linked with lower overall mortality rates and lower death rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The study used data from the Nurses' Health study and included 85,168 women age 34 to 59 and 44,548 men age 40 to 75 who were on low-carb diets that derived protein from animal or plant sources. The women were followed from 1980 to to 2006, and the men from 1986 to 2006. In those years 12,555 of the participants died.
Among those who ate an animal-based diet, researchers noted a slight but statistically significant higher overall mortality risk. An animal-based diet was also linked with higher risk of death from cancer. A vegetable-based diet was associated with a lower mortality rate and a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.
The authors believe that the link between cardiovascular death in vegetable-based diets may be attributed to benefits from eating more unsaturated fats, dietary fiber and micronutrients, vitamins and minerals and phytochemicals.
