Conclusions Large r and omized controlled trials of at least 6 months duration with carbohydrate restriction appear superior in improving lipid markers when compared with low-fat diets .
Context Carbohydrate-restricted diets may increase low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and thereby cardiovascular risk .
Objective A systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted to compare the effects of very low , low , and moderate carbohydrate , higher fat diets versus high-carbohydrate , low-fat diets on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and other lipid markers in overweight/obese adults .
Cost-effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate diet and a standard diet in severe obesity.
OBJECTIVE Low-carbohydrate diets have become a popular alternative to st and ard diets for weight loss . Our aim was to compare the cost-effectiveness of these two diets . RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES The patient population included 129 severely obese subjects ( BMI = 42.9 ) from a r and omized trial ; participants had a high prevalence of diabetes or metabolic syndrome . We compared within-trial costs , quality -adjusted life years ( QALYs ) , and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio ( CER ) for the two study groups . We imputed missing values for QALYs . The CER was bootstrapped to derive 95 % confidence intervals and to define acceptability cut-offs . We took a societal perspective for our analysis . RESULTS Total costs during the one year of the trial were 6742 dollars + /- 6675 and 6249 dollars + /- 5100 for the low-carbohydrate and st and ard groups , respectively ( p = 0.78 ) . Participants experienced 0.64 + /- 0.02 and 0.61 + /- 0.02 QALYs during the one year of the study , respectively ( p = 0.17 for difference ) . The point estimate of the incremental CER was -1225 dollars/QALY ( i.e. , the low-carbohydrate diet dominated the st and ard diet ) . However , in the bootstrap analysis , the wide spread of CERs caused the 95 % confidence interval to be undefined . The probabilities that the low-carbohydrate diet was acceptable , using cut-offs of 50,000 dollars/QALY , 100,000 dollars/QALY , and 150,000 dollars/QALY , were 72.4 % 78.6 % , and 79.8 % , respectively . DISCUSSION The low-carbohydrate diet was not more cost-effective for weight loss than the st and ard diet in the patient population studied . Larger studies are needed to better assess the cost-effectiveness of dietary therapies for weight loss
Conclusions Large r and omized controlled trials of at least 6 months duration with carbohydrate restriction appear superior in improving lipid markers when compared with low-fat diets .
Context Carbohydrate-restricted diets may increase low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and thereby cardiovascular risk .
Objective A systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted to compare the effects of very low , low , and moderate carbohydrate , higher fat diets versus high-carbohydrate , low-fat diets on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and other lipid markers in overweight/obese adults .