According to a study out of Ohio State University, carbohydrate intake can increase the body’s levels of palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that has been linked to diabetes and heart disease, CTV News reports.
The same study shows that saturated fats, which have long been noted for being harmful to the body, can be consumed at double or triple the amount without increasing the amount of saturated fats in the blood.
“The point is, you don’t necessarily save the saturated fat that you eat, and the primary regulator of what you save in terms of fat is the carbohydrate in your diet,” wrote Jeff Volek, the senior author of the study.
The study appeared in the journal PLOS ONE and consisted of 16 people on a strict four and a half month diet, which was adjusted every three weeks to monitor levels of carbohydrates, total fat and saturated fat in their blood.
The study showed that with reduced carbs and increased saturated fat, total saturated fat in the blood remained the same or declined in most participants, showing that carbohydrates are converting into fat rather than being burned off, according to researchers.
“When you consume a very low-carb diet, your body preferentially burns saturated fat,” said Volek. He continues to say that the study “challenges the conventional wisdom that has demonized saturated fat and extends our knowledge of why dietary saturated fat doesn’t correlate with disease.
