Research
Macro partitioning
When carbohydrates are restricted, replacing them with animal-derived protein and fat increases mortality risk, whereas replacing them with plant-derived protein and fat decreases mortality risk.
If you choose to eat fewer carbohydrates, replace them with plant-based proteins and fats (like nuts, vegetables, and whole grains) rather than animal products (like red meat and dairy). This substitution is associated with a lower risk of death.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
mortality increased when carbohydrates were exchanged for animal-derived fat or protein (1·18, 1.08–1.29) and mortality decreased when the substitutions were plant-based (0.82, 0.78–0.87).
Why this rating
Based on the same large cohort and meta-analysis, with specific subgroup analyses for animal/plant scores.
Source
Dietary carbohydrate intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis
Sara B. Seidelmann et al. · The Lancet Public Health · 2018
DOI 10.1016/s2468-2667(18)30135-x
Meta-analysis · 8 studiesCited 762×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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