Does it matter if your diet is low-fat or low-carb?
Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested if eating more fat, protein, or carbs helps people lose more weight — but found it doesn't matter much, as long as you eat fewer calories and show up to your support meetings.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 566 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested if eating more fat, protein, or carbs helps people lose more weight — but found it doesn't matter much, as long as you eat fewer calories and show up to your support meetings.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 566 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Sacks FM, Bray GA, Carey VJ, Smith SR, Ryan DH, Anton SD, McManus K, Champagne CM, Bishop LM, Laranjo N, Leboff MS, Rood JC, de Jonge L, Greenway FL, Loria CM, Obarzanek E, Williamson DA
Related Content
Claims (5)
When overweight people eat fewer calories and get regular coaching, it doesn’t matter much if their diet is high in fat, protein, or carbs—they lose about the same amount of weight no matter what.
The more often overweight people attend weight-loss counseling sessions, the more weight they lose—even if they’re on different diets—suggesting support matters more than what you eat.
Even with lots of coaching, people can’t stick perfectly to diets that require them to eat a lot more protein or less fat—most end up eating closer to their old habits, but still lose weight.
Eating fewer calories—no matter if you eat more fat, protein, or carbs—helps lower bad cholesterol, insulin, and triglycerides, but diets with more protein lower insulin a bit more, and diets with fewer carbs raise good cholesterol a bit more.
What matters most for losing weight isn’t whether you eat low-fat or low-carb—it’s whether you show up to your weight-loss meetings and stick with the program.