The Study
Effect of a 6-month vegan low-carbohydrate (‘Eco-Atkins’) diet on cardiovascular risk factors and body weight in hyperlipidaemic adults: a randomised controlled trial
This study is like a fair test where two groups of people ate different kinds of diets for six months, and the one that ate more nuts, soy, and veggies lost a little more weight and had better blood numbers. But we can’t say it will make everyone healthier for life — just that it helped these people in this short time.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two groups ate different plant-based diets for 6 months—one ate fewer carbs and more nuts/oils, the other ate more carbs and less fat. The low-carb plant group lost more weight and had better heart markers.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 566 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—a 2% lower heart disease risk over 10 years is meaningful for people at high risk, and the cholesterol and weight changes are clinically relevant.
- 2Lost 6.9 kg vs.
- 35.8 kg; LDL cholesterol dropped 0.49 mmol/L more; triglycerides dropped 0.34 mmol/L more; heart disease risk score dropped 2% more.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
BMJ Open
Year
2014
Authors
D. Jenkins, J. M. Wong, C. Kendall, A. Esfahani, Vivian W Y Ng, Tracy C K Leong, D. Faulkner, E. Vidgen, Gregory Paul, R. Mukherjea, E. Krul, William M Singer
Related Content
Claims (6)
If overweight people with high cholesterol eat a vegan diet low in carbs for six months, their harmful blood particles go down a bit more than if they eat a vegetarian diet high in carbs.
If you're overweight and have high cholesterol, eating a vegan diet low in carbs (but high in fats from nuts and oils) for 6 months might help you lose more weight and lower your bad cholesterol more than eating a vegetarian diet high in carbs.
If you're overweight and have high cholesterol, eating a vegan diet low in carbs for 6 months might lower your risk of heart disease a little more than eating a vegetarian diet high in carbs.
If overweight people with high fat in their blood switch to a vegan diet low in carbs for six months, their triglyceride levels drop more than if they ate a vegetarian diet high in carbs — which is good for their heart health.
If you're overweight and have high cholesterol, eating a vegan diet low in carbs for 6 months might lower your bad cholesterol markers more than a vegetarian diet high in carbs — meaning your heart might be at lower risk.
Eating more plants and whole grains instead of meat and sugary refined foods matters more for preventing heart disease than just how much fat or carbs you eat.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.