In fact, no connection between low-carbohydrate diets and cardiovascular risk was uncovered in a study by a research team at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The researchers examined detailed data on the dietary patterns of 83,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study by providing information on their eating habits annually over a period of two decades. They were not asked to follow any particular dietary plan.

The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The results were observed even in diets that were high in saturated animal fats.

When vegetables provided the main sources of dietary fat and protein, low-carb eating appearerd to provide protection against heart disease.