People with high cholesterol should eliminate carbohydrates, not saturated fat.

For decades, people diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia have been instructed to minimize their consumption of saturated fat to lower cholesterol and lower their risks for heart disease. But a new study published in the prestigious magazine Evidence-Based Medicine BMJ No evidence was found to support those claims.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder that causes people to have cholesterol levels 2-4 times higher than the average person. Organizations, including the American Heart Association, have suggested that they avoid eating animal foods, such as meat, eggs, and cheese, and that they avoid coconut oil. An international team of experts in heart disease and diet, including five cardiologists, reviewed the dietary guidelines for people with familial hypercholesterolemia. They say they couldn’t find any justification for health experts to recommend a diet low in saturated fat.

“For the past 80 years, people with familial hypercholesterolemia have been told to lower cholesterol with a diet low in saturated fat,” said lead author David Diamond, a professor and researcher of heart disease at the University of South Florida. “Our study showed that a more ‘heart healthy’ diet is low in sugar, not saturated fat.”

Diamond and his co-authors say that following a low-carb diet is more effective for people at increased risk for heart disease, such as overweight, hypertensive, and diabetic people. Their findings are consistent with another article recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which provided strong evidence that foods that raise blood sugar, such as bread, potatoes, and candy, should be minimized, rather than tropical oils and foods of animal origin.