PURPOSE OF REVIEW There has been continued interest in the physiological, nutritional and clinical aspects of low-carbohydrate diets. This review will discuss the effects on appetite regulation, metabolic parameters, body weight and body composition, the role of glycemic index and glycemic load, as well as long-term outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets appear to impr...

High-fat diets produce obesity in part because, per calorie, glucose produces greater post-prandial thermogenesis than lipids, an effect probably mediated by glucose-sensing neurons. A very low-carbohydrate/high-fat/high-protein Atkins-type diet produces obesity but is marginally ketogenic in mice. In contrast, high-sucrose/low-fat diets, and very low-carbohydrate/high-fat/low-protein (anti-epi...

BACKGROUND Low-carbohydrate diets may promote greater weight loss than does the conventional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. OBJECTIVE We compared weight loss and biomarker change in adults adhering to a ketogenic low-carbohydrate (KLC) diet or a nonketogenic low-carbohydrate (NLC) diet. DESIGN Twenty adults [body mass index (in kg/m(2)): 34.4 +/- 1.0] were randomly assigned to the KLC (60...

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clustering of metabolic abnormalities that increase the risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The exact etiology remains unclear, but it is known to be a complex interaction between genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors. Among environmental factors, dietary habits are of central importance in the prevention and ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The positive and negative health effects of dietary carbohydrates are of interest to both researchers and consumers. METHODS International experts on carbohydrate research held a scientific summit in Stresa, Italy, in June 2013 to discuss controversies surrounding the utility of the glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL) and glycemic response (GR). RESULTS The outcome w...

BACKGROUND Genetic factors that predict responses to diet may ultimately be used to individualize dietary recommendations. We used physiogenomics to explore associations among polymorphisms in candidate genes and changes in relative body fat (Delta%BF) to low fat and low carbohydrate diets. METHODS We assessed Delta%BF using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 93 healthy adults who cons...

BACKGROUND There is evidence that reducing blood glucose concentrations, inducing weight loss, and improving the lipid profile reduces cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effect of various diets on glycemic control, lipids, and weight loss. DESIGN We conducted searches of PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar to August 2011. We included randomized cont...

CONTEXT Carbohydrate-restricted diets have been popular in recent years. The theoretical glycemic impact of these diets, compared with other popular weight-loss diets, has not been reported. OBJECTIVE To assess the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of 2 popular, carbohydrate-restricted diets (South Beach and Sugar Busters!) and compare them with a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (Orn...