Research
Macro partitioning
Hyperlipidic, high-protein low-carb diets (e.g., Atkins, Paleo) are effective for short-term weight loss but are not recommended as long-term healthy lifestyle models due to negative effects on LDL cholesterol and microbiota.
Atkins and Paleo diets work well for quick weight loss, but they aren't great for long-term health due to potential cholesterol and gut health issues. Use them as a short-term jumpstart, then transition to a balanced diet for maintenance.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
In the short term, hyperlipidic diets with high protein content with low carbohydrate content show greater effectiveness in terms of weight loss... negative effects on the metabolic level and the microbiota could be considered as a short-term therapeutic tool, but not as a dietary model for life. In addition, in the long term, it has been shown that diets with a different macro-nutrient composition do not have a different efficiency in weight loss.
Why this rating
Based on narrative review of multiple studies showing short-term vs long-term differences.
Source
A Clinical Perspective of Low Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diets: A Narrative Review
Samir Giuseppe Sukkar et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2021
DOI 10.3389/fnut.2021.642628
narrative_reviewCited 56×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diets (VLCKD) and Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting (PSMF) produce rapid, significant weight loss and preserve lean mass in obese patients, but require strict medical supervision due to risks of gallbladder issues and electrolyte imbalance.Moderate
- Fasting Mimicking Diets (FMD) and Intermittent Fasting (IF) offer metabolic benefits similar to continuous calorie restriction but with better compliance and potential protective effects against chemotherapy side effects, though long-term weight loss efficacy is modest.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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