Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets and body weight
The unfavorable effect of carbohydrates on total:HDL cholesterol
might be opposed by a favorable effect of carbohydrates on
body weight, because low-fat diets may promote weight reduction.
Isoenergetically replacing fat constituting 10% of energy with carbohydrates
may reduce weight by 3 kg (96, 97). The data of Leenen
et al (98) suggest that a weight loss of 3 kg may lead to a
decrease of 0.24 in total:HDL cholesterol. If a high-carbohydrate
diet reduces energy intake sufficiently to cause a 3-kg weight loss,
then the effect on total:HDL cholesterol would be approximately
equal that of isoenergetic replacement of SFAs constituting 10%
of energy with cis unsaturated oils. This underlines the importance
of weight management in the reduction of CAD risk. Unfortunately,
the effects of low-fat diets on body weight over the long
term are uncertain (99). The introduction of low-fat, high-carbohydrate
foods in the United States does not appear to have reduced
caloric intake; rather, carbohydrates seem to have been added to
existing intakes. However, further studies on the long-term effect
of high-carbohydrate diets on body weight are urgently needed.