What top diet is heart-healthy?
Ever wonder what popular diet is best for your heart? Or the heart-riskiest? Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine put people on one of the three top diet plans—the Atkins diet, the Ornish diet or the South Beach diet—and tested the effect on their LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol levels. Here’s a summary of the results. The Atkins diet raised bad cholesterol levels by 16 points and developed atherosclerosis, or “hardening of the arteries” in a single month. This suggests the Atkins diet poses a serious heart health risk. The South Beach diet, however, lowered bad cholesterol readings by 10 points. But the Ornish diet slashed bad cholesterol levels by a substantial 25 points, suggesting a substantial reduction in the risk of heart disease. Those on the South Beach and Ornish diets also experienced a greater flexibility in their arteries, essentially the opposite of what occurs with atherosclerosis. The Atkins diet is quite low in carbohydrates and very high in proteins
