After reviewing medical studies from as far back as the 1960s, researchers found that low-carb diets may not be an effective way to lose weight. Although a low-carb diet will help you shed pounds in the short-term, researchers say it’s because of calorie restriction, not carb restriction.
Researchers reviewed dietary studies published between 1966 and 2003 that involved a total of 3,268 study participants. Of the participants, 663 people followed low-carbohydrate diets, defined as consuming 60 grams of carbs per day or less, and 71 people consumed about 20 grams per day, which is the amount recommended by popular low-carb diets, such as the Atkins’ diet.
According to U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances, a person on the average 2,000-calorie diet should consume about 300 grams of carbohydrates daily.
It was found that the low-carb diet had no adverse effects on cholesterol, glucose, insulin or blood pressure. Weight loss among obese patients was associated with adherence to the diet rather than reduced carbohydrate intake.
Researchers noted that most of the studies lasted less than 90 days, so knowledge about the long-term effects of low-carb diets is limited. The National Institutes of Health is planning a study that will compare health benefits of people on low-carb and regular diets over a five-year period.
Researchers conclude that there is inadequate evidence to either support or refute the claims that low-carb diets are good for you. They note that balancing nutrition, consuming a healthy amount of calories and exercising are reliable ways to produce weight loss.
JAMA April 9, 2003;Vol. 289 No. 14
It is not surprising that the researchers’ review of the medical literature could not provide an answer one way or the other as to the effectiveness of low-carb diets.
The reason why is that low-carb diets work for some people but are miserable failures for others. There is no question that the Atkins’ diet has helped many successfully lose weight in the long-term, but what is equally as clear is that it has been a dismal failure for many others.
Once you understand Metabolic Typing the reason for the different effects is as plain as day. Some people need a high-carb diet to lose weight. However, the major distinction, as my book Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program greatly details, is that none of these carbs should be grains--they should be low-glycemic vegetables.
Unfortunately, this concept is so new that, to the best of my knowledge, there are no published independent trials examining a no-grain approach to weight loss. What I have seen, though, is an immense history of success with thousands of patients here in my own clinic who followed Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program, not to mention the claims of many, many more who have followed it.
I would welcome such a full and independent study, as I know it would verify Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program success, and help researchers behind studies like the one published in JAMA understand that carb-restriction definitely does contribute to optimized weight and health--but it's a matter of understanding the right type of carbs to restrict. This is covered in Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program.
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