Research
Macro partitioning
While weight loss is similar across macronutrient groups, specific diets produce distinct improvements in cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., LDL, HDL, Triglycerides).
If you have high cholesterol or cardiovascular risk, choose a diet that aligns with your specific biomarkers. Low-fat/high-carb diets tend to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) more effectively, while high-fat/low-carb diets may raise HDL (good cholesterol) more. Since weight loss is similar across all, use your lipid profile to guide your macronutrient choice.
StrongQualifiesHIGH confidence
The diets improved lipid-related risk factors and fasting insulin levels.
Why this rating
Same high-quality RCT data.
Source
Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates
Frank M. Sacks et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2009
DOI 10.1056/nejmoa0804748
rct · n=811Cited 1,953×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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