Category Ranking
98%
Total Visits
921
Avg Visit Duration
2 minutes
Citations
20
Article Abstract
Context: Although low-carbohydrate (LC) diets have been shown to be beneficial for weight loss and improvements in cardiometabolic health in adults with obesity, their efficacy in youth has not yet been established.
Objectives: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to qualitatively and quantitively synthesize the evidence from clinical trials testing the efficacy of LC diets to improve anthropometric and cardiometabolic-related parameters in children and adolescents with obesity.
Data Sources: Searches in Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were undertaken for LC interventions with or without control comparisons.
Data Extraction And Analysis: Data before and after the LC intervention and control comparisons (if applicable) were extracted from 19 studies, 17 of which were pooled in random-effects meta-analyses.
Results: Children on LC diets (Mean = 30 [IQR: 30-60] g/d), for approximately 3 months (IQR: 3-4 months) significantly reduced their weight (mean change [MC] = -7.09 [95% CI: -9.60, -4.58] kg; P < .001), body mass index (BMI) (MC = -3.01 [-3.71, -2.30] kg/m2; P < .001), and BMI z-score (MC = -0.27 [-0.48, -0.06]; P = .020), on average, with concomitant improvements in different metabolic biomarkers, such as serum triglycerides (MC = -29.16 [-45.06, -13.26] mg/dL; P = .002) and insulin (MC = -7.13 [-9.27, -4.99] µU/mL; P < .001). Evidence from 5 out of 7 controlled trials suggests that LC diets without caloric restriction may lead to similar or greater improvements in anthropometric and lipid-related outcomes relative to caloric-restricted or low-fat diets. However, meta-analyses demonstrated high between-study heterogeneity, indicative of a wide variety of methodologies, including intervention duration and degree of carbohydrate restriction.
Conclusion: Overall, this review found that short-term LC diets can be beneficial for weight loss and improving cardiometabolic parameters with or without calorie restriction. However, the limited number of controlled trials and the demonstrable diversity in methods prevent firm conclusions regarding their efficacy relative to traditional approaches, such as energy restriction.
Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42023440835.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaf029 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The Hypometabolic State of the Migraine Brain: Is a Ketogenic Diet the Answer?
Brain Behav
September 2025
Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Background: Migraine pathophysiology involves a constellation of metabolic abnormalities. These interlinked contributory factors include mitochondrial dysfunction, an altered gut microbiome, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, weight imbalance, and altered glucose metabolism. The ketogenic diet is an emerging therapy which may restore hypometabolism seen in chronic migraine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdaptive Thermogenesis After Hypocaloric Low-Carbohydrate Versus Low-Fat Diets in African American Women: A Secondary Analysis.
Obesity (Silver Spring)
September 2025
Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Objective: This secondary analysis was conducted to compare the magnitude of adaptive thermogenesis (AT) following hypocaloric low-carbohydrate (CHO) versus low-fat diets in African American (AA) women.
Methods: Sixty-nine AA women with obesity were randomized to low-CHO or low-fat hypocaloric diets for 10 weeks, followed by a 4-week weight stabilization period (all food provided). At baseline and Week 13, insulin sensitivity (S) was measured by intravenous glucose tolerance test, body composition by bioimpedance analysis, total energy expenditure (EE) (TEE) by doubly labeled water, and resting EE (REE) by indirect calorimetry.
Effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets on type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in Eastern vs. Western populations.
Diabetes Res Clin Pract
September 2025
Siriraj Population Health and Nutrition Research Group (SPHERE), Research Group and Research Network Division, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand. Electronic address:
Aims: Low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) have emerged as a potential dietary intervention for managing glycemic control, but their effectiveness across different cultural contexts remains unclear. To evaluate the efficacy of LCDs in managing type 2 diabetes, with attention to cultural context, and to clarify how variability in carbohydrate definitions affects interpretation.
Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus from inception to 1 August 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ≥ 12 weeks in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Ketogenic Diet Mitigates Age-Related Cognitive Decline and Neuroinflammation in Rats, While Antibiotics Exacerbate Brain Health Risks.
J Mol Neurosci
September 2025
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
The ketogenic diet (KD), a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen, has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects in various neurological models. This study explored how KD-alone or combined with antibiotic-induced gut microbiota depletion-affects cognition and neuroinflammation in aging. Thirty-two male rats (22 months old) were assigned to four groups (n = 8): control diet (CD), ketogenic diet (KD), antibiotics with control diet (AB), and antibiotics with KD (KDAB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA pilot study examining a ketogenic diet as an adjunct therapy in college students with major depressive disorder.
Transl Psychiatry
September 2025
Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
A ketogenic diet (KD) has shown promise as an adjunctive therapy for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD). We examined tolerance for a KD in young adults with MDD and assessed symptoms of depression and metabolic health. Students (n = 24) with a confirmed diagnosis of MDD at baseline receiving standard of care counseling and/or medication treatment were enrolled in a 10-12 week KD intervention that included partial provision of ketogenic-appropriate food items, frequent dietary counseling, and daily morning tracking of capillary R-beta-hydroxybutyrate (R-BHB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF