Why do low-fat diets sometimes make blood fat worse?
Effects of a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet on VLDL-triglyceride assembly, production, and clearance.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Low-fat, high-carb diets did NOT increase fat production (VLDL-TG or VLDL-apo B secretion rates were unchanged), yet triglycerides rose 60%.
Everyone assumes high carbs turn into fat — but this study says your liver isn’t making more fat. The problem is clearance, not production.
Practical Takeaways
If you have high triglycerides, consider reducing refined carbs even if you’re eating low-fat — your body may struggle to clear fat from your blood.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Low-fat, high-carb diets did NOT increase fat production (VLDL-TG or VLDL-apo B secretion rates were unchanged), yet triglycerides rose 60%.
Everyone assumes high carbs turn into fat — but this study says your liver isn’t making more fat. The problem is clearance, not production.
Practical Takeaways
If you have high triglycerides, consider reducing refined carbs even if you’re eating low-fat — your body may struggle to clear fat from your blood.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of clinical investigation
Year
1999
Authors
E. Parks, R. Krauss, M. Christiansen, R. Neese, M. Hellerstein
Related Content
Claims (5)
In people with high triglycerides, a low-fat high-carb diet changes where the fat in their blood comes from — but scientists still can't explain where about 1 in 5 of those fat molecules are coming from.
When people eat a low-fat, high-carb diet, their body burns less fat for energy overall, which might help explain why fat builds up in the blood.
Eating a diet low in fat and high in carbs makes the body less able to clear fat from the blood, causing triglyceride levels to rise sharply.
When people with high triglycerides eat a low-fat, high-carb diet, their blood shows more leftover fat particles from meals, which might clog up the system that clears fat from the blood.
People with high triglycerides process fat differently than those with normal levels when eating a low-fat, high-carb diet — their bodies use different fat sources and clear fat slower, which may explain why this diet raises their triglycerides more than it does in others.