The Claim

In individuals following a very-low-calorie diet, different levels of carbohydrate intake result in varying magnitudes of decline in serum triiodothyronine (T3), while resting metabolic rate decreases to a similar extent across all levels of carbohydrate intake.

Source: The effect of varying carbohydrate content of a very-low-caloric diet on resting metabolic rate and thyroid hormones.

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
20score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

How it works
1 study reviewed
In plain English

When people eat a very-low-calorie diet, reducing carbohydrate intake causes a greater drop in the thyroid hormone T3, but the decrease in resting metabolic rate is the same regardless of how much carbohydrate is consumed.

See the scientific wording

In individuals following a very-low-calorie diet, varying carbohydrate content influences the magnitude of decline in serum triiodothyronine (T3), but resting metabolic rate decreases to a similar extent regardless of carbohydrate intake.

Why this might work

When carbs are very low, the liver makes less of the active thyroid hormone T3 because it slows down a key enzyme that converts the inactive form into T3. At the same time, the body lowers its overall energy use regardless of carb levels by reducing heat production and slowing down non-essential processes in cells.

Supported mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: The effect of varying carbohydrate content of a very-low-caloric diet on resting metabolic rate and thyroid hormones.

    When people eat very few calories, cutting carbs makes their thyroid hormone T3 drop more, but their body’s energy use at rest still falls the same amount no matter how many carbs they eat.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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