I don't have access to the Nature article, but on the face of it these
concerns seem ridiculous.  Perhaps they hold for some extreme (perhaps
those very high saturated fat, zero vegetable) lo-carb diets, with extreme
ketosis for very long terms.  On the contrary, I associate heart
arrhythmias and heart muscle problems with low calorie high carb diets,
which are known to casue weight loss in part by attacking muscle, including
heart muscle, tissue: e.g., the dangers of death from prolonged fasting
(even "juice" fasting).

I'm interested to hear from our more scholarly list members.

John Blank, L.Ac.


Original Message:
-----------------
From: Mandi Smallhorne [log in to unmask]
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 10:20:02 +0200
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: "Side effects" of dieting


A recent Nature article (18 March) refers to concerns about safety of =
low-carb diets: =20
'One recent review of the safety of low-carbohydrate diets reeled off an =
alarming list of potential problems: "Complications such as heart =
arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, =
osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of =
physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term =
restriction of carbohydrates in the diet."'

Is anybody on the list able to point me in the direction of any similar =
review naming possible complications from the 'standard' diet - low-fat, =
high-carb?

Mandi Smallhorne
South Africa
Tel: 27 11 672-3555
Fax: 27 11 674-3804
Cell: 082 881-8270

--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .