Eating carbs in moderation was “optimal” for health and longevity, a US study found.
Proteins and fats from vegetables, legumes and nuts were also linked to lower mortality.
But weight loss plans like the Atkins diet which replace starchy foods with animal protein and fat from meat and dairy products lower life expectancy.
Scientists tracked 15,400 adults aged 45 to 64 over six years using diet questionnaires to compare total carb intake with mortality.
Very low and very high carb diets came with a higher risk of death than diets where they made up 50 to 55 per cent of calories.
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From age 50, people with moderate carb intake could look forward to another 33 years on average – four years more than those with very low carb and one more than those with high carb diets.
Study leader Dr Sara Seidelmann, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said: “Lowcarb diets that replace carbohydrates with protein or fat are gaining widespread popularity as a health and weight loss strategy.
“However, our data suggests that animal-based low carbohydrate diets might be associated with shorter overall life span and should be discouraged. Instead, if one chooses to follow a low carbohydrate diet, then exchanging carbohydrates for more plant-based fats and proteins might actually promote healthy ageing in the long term.”
The Harvard Medical School study was published in journal The Lancet Public Health.