Fat or sugar, which is more harmful? A study that settles the controversy

A recent study has finally settled a long-standing debate in health circles by concluding that a low-fat diet is healthier than high-carbohydrate diets that turn into sugars in the body. The question of whether fats or carbohydrates are more harmful to human health has been a topic of debate for many years.

During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, people believed that only fat caused heart disease and high cholesterol. However, recent studies have shown that sugar is also harmful to humans.

Less fat

A recent study has resolved the controversy and established that a low-fat diet can decrease the risk of annual mortality by up to 34%, whereas low-carb diets may increase the risk of death by up to 38%.

According to a study published in the Daily Mail, maintaining a healthy diet with lower saturated fats is important to prevent all-cause and cause-specific deaths among middle-aged and older individuals, as supported by the study’s findings.

The study found that all outcomes of a low-fat diet were linked to a decrease in total mortality, which suggests that reducing dietary fat can lead to significant health advantages.

Diet and chronic disease

Diet and chronic disease

A study conducted by Harvard University and Tulane University, along with Chinese scientists, analyzed data on 371,159 Americans aged 50 to 71, dating back to the 1990s.

Researchers conducted a study using the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Survey, which was started in 1995 to investigate the relationship between diet and chronic illnesses in older adults. Their goal was to find associations between diet and life expectancy.

Researchers gathered information from participants in a survey about how frequently they consumed 124 different foods. Based on this information, the researchers determined the frequency at which individuals consumed carbohydrates and fats.

The participants were grouped based on their carbohydrate intake. The group with the lowest 20% of carbohydrate consumption was assigned as the control group, while the highest 20% were assigned to the other group.

The participants were labeled as “healthy” or “unhealthy” based on whether they consumed foods from high or low quality sources while following either a low-fat or low-carb diet.

A person who consumes a lot of lean meat and vegetables as part of a low-fat diet is considered to have a healthy diet. On the other hand, someone who consumes refined sugars and processed foods is considered to have an unhealthy diet.

Premature death

It was discovered that individuals who consumed a diet low in fat, regardless of its nutritional value, had a notably lower risk of early mortality than those who consumed a diet high in fat.

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People who followed a low-fat diet had a 21% lower risk of dying each year compared to those who did not. Even those who followed an unhealthy version of the low-fat diet still had an 8% lower risk of death than those who followed an unhealthy high-fat diet.

A recent study suggests that following a ketogenic diet, which is low in carbohydrates, may increase the risk of premature death. According to the study, individuals on a ketogenic diet were found to be 28% more likely to die from any cause compared to those on a higher-carbohydrate diet.

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