About this Resource
In the early 1970s, Robert Atkins advertised low-carbohydrate diets as ‘a high calorie way to stay thin forever’. Since then, there has been a considerable amount of popular and scientific interest in low-carbohydrate diets, such as the ketogenic diet, for promoting weight loss. This handout represents a summary of the evidence exploring whether low-carbohydrate diets are more effective than other diets.
Grounded in the Research
Low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) have been increasingly used for weight reduction in recent years and have been heavily promoted in the media and scientific publications. … Evidence for their effectiveness, and whether there is any specific effect other than through energy restriction, has however been hotly debated.
Excerpt from: Churuangsuk, C., Kherouf, M., Combet, E., & Lean, M. (2018). Low‐carbohydrate diets for overweight and obesity: A systematic review of the systematic reviews. Obesity Reviews, 19(12), 1700-1718.
References
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