Research
Macro partitioning
Caloric Restriction (CR) is more effective for weight loss than low-fat diets without caloric restriction, and low-carbohydrate diets are more effective than low-fat diets regardless of caloric restriction.
If you are restricting calories, choose a low-carbohydrate or Mediterranean diet rather than a low-fat diet for better weight loss results.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Shai et al [77], one of the 2 year studies, investigated overweight or obese middle aged adults with T2D or coronary heart disease, who were randomised to a CR low fat diet, a CR Mediterranean diet or a low carbohydrate diet; those randomised to the CR Mediterranean diet or the low carbohydrate diet lost significantly more weight than the CR low fat diet.
Why this rating
Based on multiple RCTs cited in the review.
Source
Reversal of Obesity: The Quest for the Optimum Dietary Regimen
Nicoll Rachel · International Journal Of Nutrition · 2017
DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-17-1548
narrative_reviewCited 2×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Intermittent Caloric Restriction (ICR), specifically Alternate Day Fasting (ADF), is as effective as Continuous Caloric Restriction (CCR) for weight loss but offers superior compliance and lean mass retention.Good
- Intermittent Caloric Restriction (ICR) helps overcome metabolic adaptation (slowed resting metabolic rate) associated with continuous caloric restriction.Moderate
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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