Adherence
Prescribing a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) for 2 years significantly reduces cravings for carbohydrates, sweets, and fast-food fats compared to a low-fat diet (LFD), and reduces preferences for high-carbohydrate and high-sugar foods.
If you follow a low-carb diet, expect your cravings for carbs, sweets, and fast food to decrease significantly over time compared to if you followed a low-fat diet. This happens because you are no longer pairing those foods with hunger or eating cues. You don't need to fear that cutting out a food group will make you obsessed with it; the data shows the opposite happens.
Compared to the LFD, the LCD had significantly larger decreases in cravings for carbohydrates/starches and preferences for high-carbohydrate and high-sugar foods.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with 270 participants over 2 years, though adherence was not directly measured via biomarkers.
Source
Change in Food Cravings, Food Preferences, and Appetite During a Low‐Carbohydrate and Low‐Fat Diet
Corby K. Martin et al. · Obesity · 2011
DOI 10.1038/oby.2011.62
More from this paper
- A low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) results in lower subjective hunger (being bothered by hunger) compared to a low-fat diet (LFD) over a 2-year period.Good
- Men experience larger reductions in appetite ratings (hunger, being bothered by hunger, wanting to eat, thoughts about food) compared to women during a 2-year weight loss diet, regardless of whether they follow a low-carb or low-fat diet.Good
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