Low carb better than low fat to prevent cardiac disease - Assignment Example

Low Carbohydrate Better than Low Fat to Prevent Cardiac Disease Affiliation: According to Bazzano et al. p. 308) "cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is one of the major causes of death in the United States, and it consumes a significant proportion of the national budget. Low-carbohydrate diets are gaining grounds as the policy for reducing and managing weight without any understand of the effectiveness of the strategy. This study was intriguing because it established the differences between the effects of low-carbohydrates and low-fat diets in reduction of weight and CVD risk factors.

In the study, researchers used “randomized, parallel-group trial with the aim of examining the effects of low-carbohydrate in comparison to the effects of a low-fat diet on body weight and CVD" (Bazzano et al., 2014, p. 308). The participants included representatives of all populations and observation were made for a period of twelve months. In the previous studies either the participants failed to complete the study, had low participation, involved small size, failed to examine the effect of low-carbohydrate on weight reduction or did not take into consideration the population diversity.

However, the present clinical trial involved examination of the effect of low-carbohydrate diets on weight loss, included black members that were previously ignored and had high completion rate of eighty percent and the sample size relatively bigger (Bazzano et al., 2014). Therefore, the outcome of the investigation was more accurate and convincing. Consumption of diet with low-carbohydrate results to a reduction of weight and CVD risk factors compared to low-fat diets. The low-carbon and low-fat diets use contribute to decline of plasma glucose, blood sugar, creatinine and serum insulin levels in an uniform fashion among the diverse population of the participants (Bazzano et al., 2014). Therefore, persons intending to lose weight or reduce CVD risk factors can decide to consume a diet with low-carbohydrate as opposed to low-fat diets.

Furthermore, the policy makers can plan on policy intervention applicable to diverse groups in the United States as opposed to using of different policies for various groups since similar foods have same effects on diverse populations. The study is of significance to the research centers because it has increased knowledge about effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on reduction of weight and CVD risk factors. The health caregivers can comfortably recommend the use of low-carbohydrate diets to people with obesity for reducing weight and CVD risk factorsThere has been a major concern over the possibility of low-carbohydrate diets to increase Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels since the latter is a risk factor for CVD (Bazzano et al., 2014). However, the results have established that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets reduce LDL cholesterol levels hence reduction of CVD risk factors.

Therefore, as a future clinical trialist the details about low-carbohydrate diet stood out regarding their effects on reducing the proportion of total High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol which is the main predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD) (Bazzano et al., 2014). These findings are noteworthy because high levels of LDL cholesterol are a major health risk, and doctors should assist patients to reduce levels of LDL from the body. In conclusion, the use of low-carbohydrate reduces weight and CVD risk factors significantly compared to a low-fat diet for the obese black and white participants.

The results are of great significant to the healthcare providers and policy makers in United States where CVD is responsible for most deaths and obesity is the most common health risk factor. ReferencesBazzano, L. A., Hu, T., Reynolds, K., Yao, L., Bunol, C., Liu, Y., Chen, C., Klag, M. J., Whelton, P. K. & He, J. (2014). Effects of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets: A Randomized Trial. American College of Physicians: Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 161 (5): 308-324.