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Low-carbohydrate diet review: shifting the paradigm
Adele H Hite1, Valerie Goldstein Berkowitz, Keith Berkowitz
1Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Summary
Low-carbohydrate (LC) diets are as effective or better than low-fat (LF) diets for weight loss and improving cardiovascular risk markers. Clinicians should consider LC diets as a viable option for managing obesity and chronic diseases.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Metabolic Health
- Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Background:
- Low-fat (LF), high-carbohydrate diets are the standard for weight management and chronic disease prevention.
- Growing evidence questions the universal applicability of LF diets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the safety and effectiveness of low-carbohydrate (LC) diets versus LF diets.
- To evaluate LC diets as an alternative to LF recommendations for weight loss and chronic disease management.
Main Methods:
- Review of short-term and long-term comparison studies.
- Analysis of ad libitum and isocaloric therapeutic diets with varying carbohydrate restriction.
- Comparison of outcomes in normal subjects and those with metabolic disorders.
Main Results:
- LC diets perform as well as or better than LF diets in weight loss.
- LC diets show comparable or superior effects on lipid levels, glucose/insulin response, and blood pressure.
- Benefits observed in both healthy individuals and those with metabolic disorders.
Conclusions:
- Metabolic, hormonal, and appetite signaling effects support carbohydrate reduction.
- LC diets offer a scientifically-based alternative to LF recommendations for obesity and chronic disease.
- Embracing LC diets can aid in reversing diabetes, heart disease risk factors, and obesity.
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