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Low CarbEvidence & Dosage

<100g carbs/day — indications, drawbacks, individual suitability.

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
436
With abstract
49
Meta / Systematic / RCT
7
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1991–2026

Low Carb in the context of Methods

This topic is part of our "Methods" world. There you'll find methodology, evidence and the highest-impact levers — plus the order in which they sensibly build on each other.

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Top studies on Low Carb

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Interventions for treating obesity in children.

    The Cochrane database of systematic reviews2009n=5,230200 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Child and adolescent obesity is increasingly prevalent, and can be associated with significant short- and long-term health consequences.<h4>Objectives</h4>To assess the efficacy of lifestyle, drug and surgical…

  2. Successful behavior change in obesity interventions in adults: a systematic review of self-regulation mediators.

    BMC medicine2015n=35200 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Relapse is high in lifestyle obesity interventions involving behavior and weight change. Identifying mediators of successful outcomes in these interventions is critical to improve effectiveness and to guide approaches to…

  3. Efficacy and safety of low and very low carbohydrate diets for type 2 diabetes remission: systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished randomized trial data.

    BMJ2021n=1,357Meta-Analysis200 influential citations

    Objective To determine the efficacy and safety of low carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and very low carbohydrate diets (VLCDs) for people with type 2 diabetes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Searches of CENTRAL, Medline,…

  4. Diet low in FODMAPs reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as well as traditional dietary advice: a randomized controlled trial.

    Gastroenterology2015n=75rct196 influential citations

    BACKGROUND &amp; AIMS: A diet with reduced content of fermentable short-chain carbohydrates (fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides, and polyols [FODMAPs]) has been reported to be effective in the treatment of patients with irritable…

  5. Lifestyle weight-loss intervention outcomes in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

    J Acad Nutr Diet2015n=6,754meta185 influential citations

    The majority of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese, and weight loss is a recommended treatment strategy. A systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken to answer the following primary question: In overweight or obese…

  6. Diabetes prevention in the real world: effectiveness of pragmatic lifestyle interventions for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and of the impact of adherence to guideline recommendations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Diabetes care2014172 influential citations

    OBJECTIVE To summarize the evidence on effectiveness of translational diabetes prevention programs, based on promoting lifestyle change to prevent type 2 diabetes in real-world settings and to examine whether adherence to international…

  7. Exercise for overweight or obesity.

    The Cochrane database of systematic reviews2006n=3,476160 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Clinical trials have shown that exercise in adults with overweight or obesity can reduce bodyweight. There has been no quantitative systematic review of this in The Cochrane Library.<h4>Objectives</h4>To assess exercise…

  8. Low-glycemic index diets in the management of diabetes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    Diabetes care2003n=356156 influential citations

    <h4>Objective</h4>The use of diets with low glycemic index (GI) in the management of diabetes is controversial, with contrasting recommendations around the world. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to determine…

  9. Effect of weight reduction in obese patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Annals of the rheumatic diseases2007n=454136 influential citations

    This review aims to assess by meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) changes in pain and function when overweight patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) achieve a weight loss. Systematic searches were performed and reference…

  10. Systematic review of long-term weight loss studies in obese adults: clinical significance and applicability to clinical practice.

    International journal of obesity (2005)2005120 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Obesity is a common health problem that requires a long-term care approach. We systematically reviewed long-term (> or =2 y) studies investigating dietary/lifestyle, pharmacologic, and surgical weight loss methods to…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• low carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and very low carbohydrate diets (VLCDs) (<130 g/day or <26% of a 2000 kcal/day diet for LCDs; <10% calories from carbohydrates for VLCDs)
Which population does the evidence apply to?
Most studies investigated: unknown.
Are there safety considerations for Low Carb?
• No significant or clinically important differences in adverse events at 6 or 12 months. • No significant or clinically important between-group differences in blood lipids at 6 and 12 months. • 12-month quality of life and LDL cholesterol worsened clinically, though not statistically significant.

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