Do Low Carb Diets Cause Heart Disease or Cancer?

Abstract

It is well recognized that coronary artery disease and cancer are the result of inflammatory changes, which occur within the tissues of the body specifically the walls of the coronary arteries (CAD) and within the specific organ (e.g. breast, colon) tissue in question [1-3] – and not the blood. Despite this obvious difference between blood and tissue, medical studies looking at the impact of diets and drugs have primarily utilized changes in qualitative or at best semi-quantitative imaging [4-6], weight and blood tests to monitor presumed changes in heart disease and cancer. However, changes in heart disease and cancer cannot be measured through the mere use of blood tests alone, since these blood tests merely tell us what is happening within the blood and not what is happening in the tissues of the body proper [7,8] – hence, the persistent debate about the consequences of different diets or drugs, and the potential risk for CAD and cancer [9-14] – and the persistent doubt and confusion by the public and media [15-18]. Frankly, if I hadn’t spent more than three decades working out some of the details and limitations in our knowledge and published studies based upon what I read in the lay press I would be just as confused [19-25].