Good fats and veggies beat bad carbs and meat for heart health
Effect of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets on Metabolomic Indices and Coronary Heart Disease in U.S. Individuals.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Unhealthy low-carb and unhealthy low-fat diets both raised heart disease risk by nearly the same amount — 14–17% — despite being opposite in macronutrient focus.
People assume low-carb and low-fat diets are opposites with different health effects — but this shows poor food quality sabotages both equally.
Practical Takeaways
Swap bacon and butter for avocado, nuts, and olive oil on your low-carb plate — or replace sugary low-fat yogurt with Greek yogurt and berries.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Unhealthy low-carb and unhealthy low-fat diets both raised heart disease risk by nearly the same amount — 14–17% — despite being opposite in macronutrient focus.
People assume low-carb and low-fat diets are opposites with different health effects — but this shows poor food quality sabotages both equally.
Practical Takeaways
Swap bacon and butter for avocado, nuts, and olive oil on your low-carb plate — or replace sugary low-fat yogurt with Greek yogurt and berries.
Publication
Journal
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Year
2026
Authors
Zhiyuan Wu, Binkai Liu, Xiaowen Wang, Hala B AlEssa, O. Zeleznik, A. Eliassen, Clary Clish, Molin Wang, Kenneth J Mukamal, E. Rimm, Yang Hu, Frank B. Hu, Qi Sun
Related Content
Claims (10)
Eating more plants and whole grains instead of meat and sugary refined foods matters more for preventing heart disease than just how much fat or carbs you eat.
If you're a health professional in the U.S. and you eat a low-carb diet full of plants, nuts, and whole foods instead of meat and sugary carbs, you're less likely to get heart disease — it’s not just about cutting carbs, but what you replace them with.
People who eat healthy low-carb or low-fat diets tend to have certain chemicals in their blood—like more 3-indolepropionic acid and less valine—that are connected to better heart health, such as lower bad fats, higher good cholesterol, and less body inflammation.
Eating low-carb or low-fat diets that are full of meat or sugary refined foods might raise your risk of heart disease by about 14% to 17% compared to eating healthier versions of those same diets.
Eating more plants, whole grains, and healthy fats can lower your risk of heart disease by about 13 to 15%, no matter if you're cutting carbs or cutting fat.