I'm not surprised that people think a low carb diet causes your cholesterol to go up, but the opposite is normally true. In studies comparing Atkins to A.H.A. diets, the people on the low carb diets cholesterol and triglycerides levels improved consideraby better than those on the low fat diet.
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Study: Atkins diet good for cholesterol
CHICAGO (APOnline) — Multitudes swear by the high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, and now a carefully controlled study backs them up: Low-carb may actually take off more weight than low-fat and may be surprisingly better for cholesterol, too.
For years, the Atkins formula of sparing carbohydrates and loading up on taboo fatty foods has been blasphemy to many in the health establishment, who view it as a formula for cardiovascular ruin.
But now, some of the same researchers who long scoffed at the diet are putting it to the test, and they say the results astonish them. Rather than making cholesterol soar, as they feared, the diet actually appears to improve it, and volunteers take off more weight.