Macro partitioning
Low-carbohydrate diets produce greater weight loss, improved HDL, and lower triglycerides compared to low-fat diets over 6-12 months, but result in higher LDL and total cholesterol levels.
If you are choosing between low-carb and low-fat for weight loss, low-carb diets tend to yield slightly better results (about 1.3 kg more loss) and improve triglycerides and HDL more effectively over 6-12 months. However, be aware that low-carb diets may raise LDL and total cholesterol. If you have high baseline LDL, a low-fat diet might be safer for your lipid profile, even if weight loss is slightly less. Monitor your lipids regardless of the diet chosen.
At 6–12 months, pooled analyses of mean differences of low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat diets favoured the low-carbohydrate diet for average weight change (mean difference −1.30 kg; 95% CI −2.02 to −0.57), HDL (0.05 mmol/L; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.08), and triglycerides (TG) (−0.10 mmol/L; −0.16 to −0.04), and favoured the low-fat diet for LDL (0.07 mmol/L; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.12) and total cholesterol (0.10 mmol/L; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.18).
Why this rating
High-quality meta-analysis of 38 RCTs with 6499 participants, though risk of bias exists due to inability to blind dietary interventions.
Source
The Effect of Low-Fat and Low-Carbohydrate Diets on Weight Loss and Lipid Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Shreya Chawla et al. · Nutrients · 2020
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