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Introduction
Low-carbohydrate diets come with a list of reported benefits, and research does show benefit for a number of different outcomes. However, many influencers and advocates of low-carb diets routinely add commentary that is misleading, incorrect, and possibly dangerous. This has led to us highlighting such incorrect information on this podcast before and pushing back against central claims of the “big names” in the “low-carb community”.
However, low-carbohydrate diets can indeed be a viable dietary pattern for people who wish to consume a healthy diet… provided they meet a few criteria. In other words, it is possible to consume a low-carb diet that still largely fits in with the evidence we have on healthy dietary patterns.
In this episode, Danny discusses what health outcomes may result from low-carb diets, and what distinguishes a “healthy low-carb diet” from an “unhealthy low-carb diet”. This includes some pragmatic tips for nutritionists, health professionals and consumers, who are choosing to use a low-carbohydrate diet.
Related resources
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- References:
- Landry et al., 2021 – Benefits of Low Carbohydrate Diets: a Settled Question or Still Controversial?
- Gardner et al., 2018 – The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial
- Brown et al., 2021 – Dietary strategies for remission of type 2 diabetes: A narrative review
- Saslow et al., 2017 – Twelve-month outcomes of a randomized trial of a moderate-carbohydrate versus very low-carbohydrate diet in overweight adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus or prediabetes
- Kirkpatrick et al., 2019 – Review of current evidence and clinical recommendations on the effects of low-carbohydrate and very-low-carbohydrate (including ketogenic) diets for the management of body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors
- Gibson et al., 2015 – Do ketogenic diets really suppress appetite? A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Related podcast episodes:
- 223: Prof. Christopher Gardner – DIETFITS Trial 2018: Low-Fat vs Low-Carb Weight Loss Diets and Effect of Genotype and Insulin Secretion
- #405: Adrian Brown, PhD – Dietary Strategies in Type 2 Diabetes
- SNP16: A Dairy Fat Paradox? – Saturated Fat, Food Matrices & Heart Disease
- 408: Mario Kratz, PhD – Is Eating Full-fat Dairy, Low-fat Dairy, or No Dairy Better for Cardiometabolic Health?
- [01:37]Common claims and narratives
- [03:15]Historical context of dietary guidelines
- [21:57]Sugar industry influence on dietary research
- Glucose Peaks
- Some Pragmatic Considerations
The Hosts
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Dr. Alan Flanagan has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey, where his doctoral research focused on circadian rhythms, feeding, and chrononutrition.
This work was based on human intervention trials. He also has a Masters in Nutritional Medicine from the same institution.
Dr. Flanagan is a regular co-host of Sigma Nutrition Radio. He also produces written content for Sigma Nutrition, as part of his role as Research Communication Officer.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.