Going on a low-carb or low-fat diet isn’t merely an issue of dropping a dress size; it’s also about dropping certain health risks. In fact, according to a recent study by Johns Hopkins University researchers, people who are on a low-carb or low-fat diet can improve their blood vessel function, therefore reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease as well. Apparently, the loss of belly fat allows arteries to expand, which in turn, helps blood flow more freely to other parts of the body.

To test the theory, researchers observed 60 men and women who weighed an average of 215 pounds. Half of the group followed a low-carb diet and half followed a low-fat diet; all participants did the same moderate exercise and consumed the same amount of calories.

Researchers also tested the participants for their blood vessel function at the onset of the study. This was done by using a blood pressure cuff to constrict blood circulation in the upper arm for five minutes. Once the cuff was released, researchers were able to determine how healthy an artery was by how wide it expanded to allow blood to flow freely. The researchers also measured how much blood flowed to the fingertips before, during, and after using the cuff.

Results? On average, those on a low-carb diet lost 10 more pounds than those on a low-fat diet. However, researchers were surprised to learn that this didn’t seem to change the fact that the improvement in blood vessel function is directly linked to the amount of lost belly fat.

Regardless of which diet the participants followed, blood vessel function remained directly dependent on the amount of belly fat left in the body. To put it simply, both diets lead to improvement in blood vessel function. This certainly makes pursuing a healthy lifestyle easier as those who prefer to eat more pasta, bread, and certain fruits have just as big a shot at reducing cardiovascular risks as those who prefer to eat more meat and dairy products.

(Photo by Bruce A Stockwell via Flickr Creative Commons)