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	<p>
		Quality counts. And this may be especially true
			when it comes to what you eat.
	</p>
	<p>
		When talking about diets these days, a lot of
			discussion seems to come down to carbohydrates vs.
			fats. Is eating fewer carbohydrates or less fat
			better for your health? To help shed light on this
			debate, a
			<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2759134" class="link c_secondary-n2">study recently published in
				<em>JAMA Internal Medicine</em></a>
			focused on how low-carbohydrate diets and low-fat
			diets are linked to deaths.
	</p>
	<p>
		Study authors found that healthy low-carb diets and
			healthy low-fat diets were associated with decreased
			mortality. A healthy low-carb diet limited
			low-quality carbs—refined and added sugars—while
			incorporating more plant protein and unsaturated
			fat. A healthy low-fat diet had limited saturated
			fat and included plant protein and more high-quality
			carbs—whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, whole
			fruits.
	</p>
	<p>
		"Our study extended the previous evidence and
			suggests that the health benefits of [a
			low-carbohydrate diet] or [low-fat diet] may depend
			not only on the types of protein and fat or
			carbohydrate but also on the quality of carbohydrate
			or fat remaining in the diet," the authors state.
	</p>
	<p>
		In a similar way, unhealthy low-carb and unhealthy
			low-fat diets were linked to increased mortality.
			Low-carb and low-fat diets overall were not
			associated with total mortality, according to the
			study. &nbsp;</span>
	</p>
	<p>
		Researchers examined information about the dietary
			intake of 37,233 adults (20 years old or older)
			reported to the U.S. National Health and Nutrition
			Examination Survey from 1999 to 2014. The average
			age of the group was 50, and more than half were
			women. When conducting the analysis, they adjusted
			for factors including age, sex, race or ethnicity,
			as well as educational level, family income,
			smoking, and family history of diabetes, heart
			disease or cancer.
	</p>
	<p>
		What is at work with low-quality diets and
			mortality? The authors suggest that diets high in
			saturated fat lead to overeating and obesity.
			Saturated fats are tasty to many people but have a
			low-satiety effect. In terms of low-quality carbs,
			refined grains and added sugars have limited
			nutritional value but can lead to high blood sugar
			and insulin in the body after eating, and in turn
			this can cause inflammation, insulin resistance, and
			dyslipidemia.
	</p>
	<p>
		It’s important to note that the diets in this study
			don’t correspond to any specific popular diet. The
			study broke down a day’s worth of dietary intake in
			terms of percentage of energy from fat, protein and
			carbohydrates. Interestingly, a moderate low-carb
			diet still has about 40% of energy coming from
			carbs, and a low-fat diet still has about 30% energy
			from fat (20% for a very low-fat diet), according to
			authors.
	</p>
	<p>
		Participants reported what they ate based on their
			memory, which could mean food intake was
			underreported or overreported. Another significant
			limitation: People were designated as eating a
			low-carb or low-fat diet based on an initial
			assessment. However, over time people may change the
			way they eat, so information about dietary intake
			may have been misclassified. Finally, as with other
			nutritional studies, this was based on observations,
			and therefore no conclusions about causes could be
			determined.
	</p>
	<p>
		Low-fat diets have been<a href="https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/HTML/G5_History.htm" class="link c_secondary-n2">recommended since the late 1970s</a>
			to prevent chronic diseases. But recent research
			about the links between total fat intake and health
			outcomes have been inconsistent, the authors write.
			Meanwhile, low-carb diets have become a popular way
			to lose weight, but the long-term health effects of
			those diets remain unclear. This issue is more
			complex than looking just at fats or carbohydrates
			or proteins. More research is needed into the types
			of food as well as the quality of each component in
			a healthy diet.
	</p>
	<p>
		This study strengthens the idea that the quality of
			food you eat matters to your overall health.
			Whatever eating pattern you follow, it’s a good idea
			to eat quality carbs and fats. That means avoiding
			refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and saturated
			fats. Instead, focus on whole grains, non-starchy
			vegetables, whole fruits, and unsaturated
			fats.
	</p>
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