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A new study being published Friday raises concerns about high-carb diets beyond how they affect weight.
Breast cancer was more than twice as common in women in Mexico who ate a lot of carbohydrates as it was in those who limited carbs to roughly half of all calories they consumed, the research found.
The typical American diet is half carbohydrates, and the study was launched in 1995, when people were being urged to eat carbs and avoid fats. Now, many are following low-carb, Atkins-style diets, which have generated argument about how they affect cholesterol and heart disease.
This is one of the few studies to look at how sugar and starch intake might affect the risk of cancer.
"The findings do raise concern about the possible adverse effects of eating lots of carbohydrates," said Dr. Walter Willett, chief of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Breast cancer was more than twice as common in women in Mexico who ate a lot of carbohydrates as it was in those who limited carbs to roughly half of all calories they consumed, the research found.
The typical American diet is half carbohydrates, and the study was launched in 1995, when people were being urged to eat carbs and avoid fats. Now, many are following low-carb, Atkins-style diets, which have generated argument about how they affect cholesterol and heart disease.
This is one of the few studies to look at how sugar and starch intake might affect the risk of cancer.
"The findings do raise concern about the possible adverse effects of eating lots of carbohydrates," said Dr. Walter Willett, chief of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
