09 Oct 2014 Low carb vs low fat: 23 peer-reviewed studies provide an answer

Few things are currently being debated as much as “carbs vs fat”. This article analyzes and synopsizes the data from 23 peer-reviewed, published studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets. What comes out best?

Some believe that increased fat in the diet is a leading cause of all kinds of health problems, especially heart disease. This is the position maintained by most mainstream health organisations, who generally recommend that people restrict dietary fat to less than 30% of total calories (a low-fat diet).

However… in the past 11 years, an increasing number of studies have been challenging the low-fat dietary approach.

Many health professionals now believe that a low-carb diet (higher in fat and protein) is a much better option to treat obesity and other chronic, Western diseases.

In this article, I have analyzed the data from 23 of these studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets.

All of the studies are randomised controlled trials, the gold standard of science. All are published in respected, peer-reviewed journals.
The studies

Most of the studies were conducted on people with health problems, including overweight/obesity, type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Keep in mind that these are the biggest health problems in the world.

The main outcomes measured are usually weight loss, as well as common risk factors like total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar levels.

Authority Nutrition: Click here for the review of the 23 studies – in very accessible, precise format…

Adverse effects?

Despite the concerns expressed by many health experts in the past, there were zero reports of serious adverse effects that were attributable to either diet. Overall, the low-carb diet was well tolerated and had an outstanding safety profile.

it is time to retire the low-fat fad?

Keep in mind that all of these studies are randomised controlled trials, the gold standard of science. All are published in respected, peer-reviewed medical journals.

These studies are scientific evidence, as good as it gets, that low-carb is much more effective than the low-fat diet that is still being recommended all over the world. It is time to retire the low-fat fad!