Mixed
All popular diets significantly reduce the LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio by approximately 10% at 1 year, regardless of macronutrient composition.
You do not need to follow a specific low-carb or low-fat protocol to improve your cholesterol ratio. The study shows that any popular diet, if adhered to, will improve your LDL/HDL ratio by about 10%. Focus on losing weight through a diet you can sustain, as the improvement in lipids is a consequence of that adherence and weight loss, not the specific macronutrient breakdown.
Each diet significantly reduced the low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio by approximately 10% (all P<.05), with no significant effects on blood pressure or glucose at 1 year.
Why this rating
RCT design, but high attrition and self-reported adherence data limit the precision of the causal link to specific diets.
Source
Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction
Michael L. Dansinger et al. · JAMA · 2005
DOI 10.1001/jama.293.1.43
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