Research
Energy balance
There is insufficient evidence to recommend low-carbohydrate diets for use longer than 90 days, for participants older than 50 years, or for diets providing 20 g/d or less of carbohydrates.
If you are over 50 or plan to follow a very low-carb diet (<20g) for more than 3 months, be aware that current scientific evidence is insufficient to confirm its safety or efficacy. Consult a healthcare provider before committing to these specific parameters.
GoodQualifiesLOW confidence
There is insufficient evidence to make recommendations for or against the use of low-carbohydrate diets, particularly among participants older than age 50 years, for use longer than 90 days, or for diets of 20 g/d or less of carbohydrates.
Why this rating
Based on the lack of data in the included studies.
Source
Efficacy and Safety of Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Dena M Bravata et al. · JAMA · 2003
DOI 10.1001/jama.289.14.1837
Meta-analysis · 94 studiesCited 563×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Low-carbohydrate diets (≤60 g/d) produce greater short-term weight loss than higher-carbohydrate diets, but this effect is driven by reduced caloric intake and longer diet duration rather than carbohydrate restriction itself.Moderate
- Low-carbohydrate diets (≤60 g/d) do not have a significant adverse effect on serum lipid profiles, fasting serum glucose, fasting serum insulin levels, or blood pressure compared to higher-carbohydrate diets.Moderate
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