Featured review: Low-carbohydrate versus balanced-carbohydrate diets for reducing weight and cardiovascular risk

Low ‐carbohydrate versus balanced‐carbohydrate diets for reducing weight and cardiovascular riskKey messagesThere is probably little to no difference in the weight lost by people following low-carbohydrate weight-reducing diets (also known as ' low-carb diets ' ) compared to the weight lost by people following balanced-carbohydrate weight-reducing diets, for up to two years.Similarly, there is probably little to no difference between the diets for changes in heart disease risks, like diastolic blood pressure, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c, a measure of blood sugar levels over 2-3 months) and LDL cholesterol ( ‘unhealthy’ cholesterol) up to two years.This was the case in people with and without type 2 diabetes.What are low-carbohydrate and balanced-carbohydrate weight-reducing diets?People spend lots of money on trying to lose weight using diets, products, foods and books, and continue to debate about which diets are effective and safe. So, examining the scientific evidence behind claims made is important. Low-carbohydrate diets are a broad category of weight-reducing diets that manipulate and restrict carbohydrates, protein and fat in diets. There are no consistent, widely-accepted definitions of these diets and different descriptions are used (e.g. ' low-carbohydrate, high-protein ’, ' low-carbohydrate, high-fat ' , or ‘very low-carbohydrate’).Low-carbohydrate diets are implemented in different ways, but they restrict grains, cereals and legumes, and other ca...

Source: Cochrane News and Events - January 25, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Lydia Parsonson Source Type: news