Research
Adherence
Adherence to macronutrient-restricted diets (low-carb or low-fat) is often inadequate, with many participants failing to meet the specified macronutrient targets, and energy intake often not differing between restricted and ad libitum groups.
Don't stress if you can't hit exact macronutrient targets. Most people in clinical trials don't either. Focus on sustainable habits rather than perfect adherence to specific numbers.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
Among trials reporting energy intake, there was no difference in total kcal for energy-restricted vs. ad libitum intervention groups... Despite macronutrient reductions, none of the low-carb and only 10% of low-fat treatment groups’ average intakes were within the intervention goals.
Why this rating
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 47 RCTs with 8952 participants, providing robust data on adherence patterns.
Source
Development and Validation of New Questionnaire To Measure Cultural Influences on Dietary Behavior
Jennifer Oslund et al. · Current Developments in Nutrition · 2024
DOI 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.103519
cross_sectional · n=1541
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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