Research
Energy balance
Low-carbohydrate/high-fat diets (e.g., Atkins) primarily result in weight loss through caloric restriction and water loss, not superior metabolic advantages, and may increase long-term mortality risk if animal proteins and fats are used.
If you choose a low-carb diet, be aware that weight loss is likely due to eating fewer calories and losing water weight, not magic metabolism. Also, be cautious of long-term risks associated with high animal protein/fat intake.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
In reality, weight loss is due to caloric restriction of approximately 500-1000 kcal... In the early phases of ketogenic diet, weight loss is mostly due to water loss... Seidelmann et al recently showed that very-low-carbohydrate diets (<30%) markedly increases the mortality.
Why this rating
Supported by large cohort studies (PURE, Seidelmann) and metabolic studies.
Source
Pros & cons of some popular extreme weight-loss diets
Joshi Shilpa et al. · The Indian Journal of Medical Research · 2018
DOI 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_1793_18
narrative_reviewCited 21×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Extreme weight-loss diets (low-carb, low-fat, or VLCD) are not sustainable long-term and lead to rapid weight regain, whereas balanced, calorie-restricted diets combined with physical activity and counseling are superior for sustained weight management.Good
- Very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes and favorable metabolic profiles in the short term, but long-term sustainability and safety data are lacking.Moderate
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