BOSTON (CNN) -- A low-fat diet may increase the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing the amount of "good" cholesterol in the bloodstream, a group of doctors said in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.
The doctors reached their conclusions after analyzing common dietary advice that suggests replacing foods high in total or saturated fat and cholesterol with high-carbohydrate foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice and bread.
"One of the problems with a low-fat diet is that it actually drives down the good cholesterol -- the HDL -- in our blood (and that) ... will probably increase the risk of heart disease," said Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health, who contributed to the article.
The report said high-carbohydrate diets result in the lowering of bad cholesterol, known as LDL, as well as the body's much-needed HDL cholesterol levels.
"Diets that lower HDL cholesterol levels must be viewed with concern," the doctors wrote.
If a person wants to lose weight, Willett and his colleagues suggest reducing consumption of fat from dairy products, meats and partially hydrogenated oils and eat less sugar and highly refined starch.
They also recommend replacing saturated fats with oils high in monounsaturated fats such as olive oils.
"The experience in Mediterranean countries shows that diets high in monounsaturated fats can be attractive and that they are associated with longevity and a low incidence of coronary disease and cancer," the doctors wrote.
The report also emphasizes the need for exercise, stressing that Japanese and Chinese populations have low-fat diets and low rates of heart disease primarily because of their active lifestyles.
"The low rates of coronary heart disease in the Chinese and other rural populations may therefore be due to largely high levels of physical activity and low body fat," it said.
Cnn.com
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