Carbohydrates, fibre and a healthy diet | Letters
Low-carb does not mean no-carb, nor does it mean low-fibre (Blow to the low-carb diet as WHO report says fibre cuts early deaths, 11 January). Your article appears to confuse low carbohydrate and low grain consumption. Proponents of a low-carb diet typically encourage the replacement of highly processed carbohydrates with fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds (all sources of carbohydrate), thereby increasing the amount of fibre consumed as well as the intake of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
The study actually concluded that the certainty of evidence for relationships and critical outcomes was graded moderate for dietary fibre and low to moderate for whole grains (The Lancet: "Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses"). In addition, it included the caveat that high levels of whole grains could cause depletion of iron and other minerals in individuals who are low in these.
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