by WASHINGTON – There are new fad diets popping up all the time, but the low carb diet is one that continues to stick around. Keto, Atkins, Paleo and South Beach are different diets that share one thing in common: minimizing carbohydrate intake. With all the different types of diets and the conflicting messages, people are still confused about what it really means to “eat low carb.” Now, a new review that looked at more than 500 clinical trials shows that most define a low-carb diet as limiting their intake to 30 percent or less of total caloric intake or eating more less than 100 grams per day. However, does this work for all dieters?
“The number of clinical trials on low-carb diets published in the past two decades has been staggering,” said lead investigator Dr. Taylor Wallace in a press release. “The data clearly do not support any view that there is a lack of scientific evidence on low-carbohydrate eating patterns, or even a lack of government-funded evidence on the subject.”
The review includes results from 508 clinical studies published between 2002 and 2022. More than half of the studies were randomized controlled trials, and almost one-third were government-funded. They found that 152 of the studies were designed to assess the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight or body composition.
Of note, these studies are typically excluded from consideration in federal nutrition evidence review processes such as the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) guidelines for carbohydrates and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on low-carb dietary patterns. These guidelines provide general guidance for things like food and nutrition labeling, federal nutrition programs, patient counseling, and public health education initiatives.
“While it is not surprising to find that so many studies evaluating the impact of low-carb dietary interventions have focused on weight-related outcomes, it is important to understand that the wealth of clinical data that has no impact on some of that data. the most basic tools in the US nutrition guide,” says Wallace. “It leaves a lot of the scientific evidence on the table – given the high rates of overweight and obesity in this country.”
In addition, the team found important gaps in the published data. Although most studies have classified low-carbohydrate diets as depleting 30 percent or less of total calories from carbs or limiting intake to 100 grams or less per day, there were some discrepancies. Of the studies that used percent of total calories as their definition, the percentages ranged from anywhere from zero to 50 percent of total calories. Of those who use the number of grams as a definition, many set the limit at well below 100 grams.
“With both consumers and public health officials interested in understanding the potential benefits of low-carbohydrate eating patterns, a standardized, agreed-upon definition is elusive and desperately needed,” says Wallace.
The researchers note that systematic reviews and dose-response meta-regressions using patient-level data on carbohydrate intake, status markers, and health are next steps to inform a clear, consistent, and widely accepted definition. widespread the term “low carbohydrate.”
Dietetic Construction
Low-carb diets are all the rage, and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Most of the standard American diet consists of highly refined ultra-processed carbohydrates than anything else. In turn, we see the consequences in the form of exponentially increasing rates of insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes. Although excessive amounts of simple carbohydrates are not the only Because of these results, they are a big part of the equation for thousands of people who suffer from any of these three health concerns.
Not surprisingly, much of the research that has explored low-carbohydrate diets has been done in relation to weight or body composition. However, this real conversation is rooted in the extent of truth transformed into a fad diet scheme.
It has made people fear eating carbs, consider them all “bad”, and even go so far as to say they all lead to weight gain and health problems. It lacks the necessary nuance, especially since it contains fruits, vegetables and whole grains They are all sources of carbohydrates which offers full-spectrum nutrition.
Candies, sodas, and white bread are not the same. Most Americans aren’t eating enough of the healthier kinds of carbs in the first place. Then when people jump on the “low carb” trend, they often don’t even know how low is appropriate versus too low. Still, while a diet lower in carbohydrates may work for some people, as shown by selected research, not everyone needs to eat that way. Additionally, low-carb diets should be discussed in an evidence-based manner, recognizing that how we define “low carb” is not truly what researchers have discovered.
The results are published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
You may also be interested in:
