Why low-carb diets help your body — it's not just about eating meat
Effects of macronutrient intake in obesity: a meta-analysis of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on markers of the metabolic syndrome
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
HDL cholesterol only improved on low-carb diets, regardless of weight loss, calorie reduction, or fat intake.
Most people assume HDL improves with weight loss or exercise alone—this shows it’s uniquely tied to low-carb intake, not general health improvements.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to raise HDL, try a low-carb diet—even if you’re not losing weight.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
HDL cholesterol only improved on low-carb diets, regardless of weight loss, calorie reduction, or fat intake.
Most people assume HDL improves with weight loss or exercise alone—this shows it’s uniquely tied to low-carb intake, not general health improvements.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to raise HDL, try a low-carb diet—even if you’re not losing weight.
Publication
Journal
Nutrition Reviews
Year
2020
Authors
Anouk E M Willems, Martina Sura-de Jong, A. V. van Beek, E. Nederhof, G. van Dijk
Related Content
Claims (6)
When obese people eat fewer carbs (as a percentage of their calories), their blood pressure and triglycerides drop—even if they don’t lose weight—improving their heart health.
Only low-carb diets raise 'good' cholesterol (HDL) in obese people without diabetes—even if they lose the same amount of weight as people on low-fat diets.
When obese people eat more fat (as a percentage of their calories), their blood pressure and blood triglycerides go down—even if they don’t lose weight—making their heart health better.
To lower blood sugar significantly in obese people without diabetes, they need to lose a lot of weight—about 15 kg—no matter if they eat low-carb or low-fat.
The metabolic improvements observed during initiation of very-low-carbohydrate or carnivore diets are primarily attributable to caloric restriction and elimination of ultra-processed foods, not to the physiological effects of animal product consumption alone.