Are low-carb diets BAD for you? Nutrition expert claims giving up grains can lead to heart disease and cancer

• Instead of following a fad diet with no scientifically proven health benefits, Dr T Colin Campbell recommends the Whole Food, Plant-Based diet, which consists of intact vegetables, fruits and grains limited refined carbs
  

By Margot Peppers

Published: 16:35 EDT, 27 February 2014 | Updated: 05:01 EDT, 28 February 2014

Low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage, but one nutrition expert has claimed that they may not be as healthy as we think.

According to Dr T Colin Campbell's new book The Low-Carb Fraud, giving up grains can mean putting yourself at a higher risk for heart disease, cancer and other regenerative diseases.

He says that not only are low-carb diets lacking in nutritional value, but they're actually even worse than the standard American diet.

Unhealthy diet craze? According to Dr T Colin Campbell's new book The Low-Carb Fraud, trendy low-carb diets can put you at a higher risk for heart disease, cancer and other regenerative diseases

The problem, says Dr Campbell, who has 40 years' experience in nutrition science, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease.

Even the standard American diet is too high in protein and fat, an imbalance that is merely worsened with a low-carb diet.

Consuming more meat also leads to smaller consequences like headaches, rash, cramps and bad breath, also known as halitosis.

Many low-carb diets require that you only consume 15 to 20per cent of your total calories from carbs, which often eliminates nutritionally rich plant-based and complex carbohydrate foods that prevent diseases and promote health.

While the author admits that following a low-carb diet can lead to quick weight loss - which is likely the reason it is so trendy - he adds that in the long run, it can lead to dire consequences.

'Low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diets cause high cholesterol - a major indicator of heart disease and cancer risks,' he told Elle.com.

Bad balance: The problem, says Dr Campbell, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease

The latest trend in this category is the Paleo diet, also known as the Caveman diet - which, as Dr Campbell points out, is merely a 'slightly tweaked' version of other previous fads including South Beach, the Zone and Atkins.

Not only does the Paleo diet cut out complex carbs that are good for you, but it also promotes the consumption of meat, something cavemen didn't even have easy access to, he explains.

Instead of following a fad diet with no scientifically proven health benefits, Dr Campbell recommends the Whole Food, Plant-Based diet, or WFPB, which involves eating mostly intact vegetables, fruits and grains and limiting refined carbs and salt.

He also suggest restricting your intake of added oils and fats, claiming that following these guidelines can rid you of autoimmune diseases and type 2 diabetes and even slow down the effects of cancer.

'The only redeeming factor of low-carb diets could be their removal of high-carbohydrate products like cookies, cakes, and soft drinks,' he conceded.

'But that's only true if it's emphasized that refined carbs, not all carbs, are the problem.'