Hmm, tough question. Here are some of the studies that struck me most. The danger of something like this is it can look like confirmation bias; that is not the case. It just happens that a close, impartial reading of the evidence tends to lean one direction.
* Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women[1]
* Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance[2]
* The ketogenic diet as a treatment paradigm for diverse neurological disorders[3]
* The ketogenic diet reverses gene expression patterns and reduces reactive oxygen species levels when used as an adjuvant therapy for glioma[4]
* A Systematic Review of the Evidence Supporting a Causal Link Between Dietary Factors and Coronary Heart Disease[5]
At the time, I wrote a wikia article[6] that tried to distil all of my thoughts and what I had learned. It is mostly correct, but I'm sure I got some things wrong. I haven't gone back over it in some time.
More recently, I think this article (Dietary Carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management. Critical review and evidence base)[7] gives a good overview of the metabolic benefits.
All of this does not imply that I think a ketogenic diet is the One and True Path(tm); it is far more nuanced than that, but that's not a bad place to start for a lot of people.
This is good info, the only things I would add here:
* carbohydrate intake should really depend on your activity level. I'm guessing the majority of the people in these studies were sedentary so a ketogenic diet is a pretty good option. People who are more active should consume some carbohydrates because glycogen depletion tends to mess with energy levels.
* A higher dietary protein intake has been shown to increase satiety and lead to weight loss by itself. Regardless of your diet you should increase your intake of high protein foods; beans and low fat cultured dairy are good sources.
SoftwareMaven|11 years ago
* Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women[1]
* Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance[2]
* The ketogenic diet as a treatment paradigm for diverse neurological disorders[3]
* The ketogenic diet reverses gene expression patterns and reduces reactive oxygen species levels when used as an adjuvant therapy for glioma[4]
* A Systematic Review of the Evidence Supporting a Causal Link Between Dietary Factors and Coronary Heart Disease[5]
At the time, I wrote a wikia article[6] that tried to distil all of my thoughts and what I had learned. It is mostly correct, but I'm sure I got some things wrong. I haven't gone back over it in some time.
More recently, I think this article (Dietary Carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management. Critical review and evidence base)[7] gives a good overview of the metabolic benefits.
All of this does not imply that I think a ketogenic diet is the One and True Path(tm); it is far more nuanced than that, but that's not a bad place to start for a lot of people.
1. http://www.mwc.com.br/files/Gardner_-_Standford_A_to_Z.pdf
2. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1199154
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3321471/pdf/fpha...
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2949862/
5. http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=11084...
6. http://fat-head.wikia.com/wiki/Health_Benefits_of_a_Low_Carb...
7. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/f...
CuriouslyC|11 years ago
* carbohydrate intake should really depend on your activity level. I'm guessing the majority of the people in these studies were sedentary so a ketogenic diet is a pretty good option. People who are more active should consume some carbohydrates because glycogen depletion tends to mess with energy levels.
* A higher dietary protein intake has been shown to increase satiety and lead to weight loss by itself. Regardless of your diet you should increase your intake of high protein foods; beans and low fat cultured dairy are good sources.
beaumartinez|11 years ago