Low-carb diet linked to high mortality risk

Middle-aged people who get roughly half their daily calories from carbohydrates live several years longer on average than those with low-carb diets, UK researchers reported yesterday.

The findings, published in The Lancet, challenge a trend in Europe and North America toward so-called Paleo diets that shun carbohydrates in favour of animal protein and fat.

Proponents of these "Stone Age" diets argue that the rapid shift 10,000 years ago -- with the advent of agriculture -- to grains, dairy and legumes has not allowed the human body enough time to adapt to these high-carb foods.