Research

Macro partitioning

Adherence to a low carbohydrate-high protein diet is associated with increased total and cardiovascular mortality in women, particularly those aged 40-49 at baseline.

If you are a woman considering a low-carb, high-protein diet for long-term weight management, be aware that this specific dietary pattern is linked to higher risks of dying from heart disease and other causes. The benefits for short-term weight loss may come at the cost of long-term survival, especially if you are in your 40s.

ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
A diet characterized by low carbohydrate and high protein intake was associated with increased total and particularly cardiovascular mortality amongst women.
P. Lagiou et al. · Journal of Internal Medicine · 2007

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (n=42,237) with long follow-up (12 years) and rigorous adjustment for confounders, but observational design prevents causal inference.

Source

Low carbohydrate–high protein diet and mortality in a cohort of Swedish women

P. Lagiou et al. · Journal of Internal Medicine · 2007

DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2007.01774.x

cohort · n=42237Cited 197×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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