Research
Macro partitioning
There is no significant difference in the reduction of absolute fat mass (kg) or waist circumference between low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets.
While LCDs may lower BMI and body fat percentage more than LFDs, they do not necessarily reduce absolute fat mass (kg) or waist circumference more effectively. If waist circumference is your primary goal, either diet may be equally effective.
StrongRefutesHIGH confidence
However, no significant difference in changes of kilogram of body fat mass and waist circumference was observed between the two diet programs.
Why this rating
Based on the same high-quality meta-analysis.
Source
Comparison of the Effect of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet with a Low-Fat Diet on Anthropometric Indices and Body Fat Percentage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Mina Darand et al. · Journal of Nutrition and Food Security · 2023
DOI 10.18502/jnfs.v8i3.13297
Meta-analysis · 63 studiesCited 3×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Adherence to a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) results in significantly greater reductions in body mass index (BMI), total body weight, and body fat percentage compared to a low-fat diet (LFD).Strong
- The superiority of low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss and body fat percentage reduction is most pronounced in subgroups with longer follow-up (≥6 months), younger age (<60 years), and very low carbohydrate intake (<10% carbs).Good
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
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →