Low Carb Diets – Yea or Nay?

It seems like every few weeks, a new diet fad is making the news. Focussing less on research, and more on hype, these diets claim to help people lose weight and extend their life. However,what does the research say?

A new study published in the Lancet. Public Health 2018, 3 (9): e419-e428 examined carbohydrate intake to mortality.

15,428 adults aged between 45 to 64 years of age were studied for their carbohydrate intake and its replacement with either animal or plant-based proteins.

The results derived from this study were as follows:

• Too high carbohydrate intake can lead to increased mortality
• Too low carbohydrate intake can lead to increased mortality
• A carbohydrate intake of approximately 50-55% had the lowest risk
• Low carbohydrate diets that favoured more animal-based protein had higher mortality
• Low carbohydrate diets that favoured more plant-based protein had a lower risk of mortality

This study suggests consuming about 50% of your caloric intake from carbohydrates and focussing on more plant-based protein sources can help reduce mortality.

To learn more about this study click here: Dietary carbohydrate intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis