title: Low-carbohydrate and high-fat intake can manage obesity and associated conditions: occasional survey.
abstract: This study analyses 127 communications from individuals self-reporting their weight change following adoption of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) eating plan. Total combined self-reported weight loss was 1 900 kg (range 5 kg gain to 84 kg loss). The mean ± standard deviation weight loss of 15 (±12) kg is among the largest yet described. Sixteen subjects reported the LCHF 'cured' (i.e. medications no longer required) one or more of their medical conditions, most commonly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (n=14), hypertension (n=8) and hypercholesterolaemia (n=7). Another 9 subjects with either type 1 diabetes mellitus or T2DM reduced medications as did 7 patients with hypertension; 8 no longer suffered from irritable bowel syndrome. These data show that significant and rapid weight loss is possible on an unsupervised eating plan that severely restricts daily carbohydrate intake to approximately &lt;75 g/day. Better weight loss on a carbohydrate-restricted LCHF eating plan than on an iso-caloric high-carbohydrate, low-fat (HCLF) diet is well described in the literature, probably due to a paradoxical reduction of hunger by carbohydrate restriction. A randomised controlled clinical trial is urgently required to disprove the hypothesis that the LCHF eating plan can reverse cases of T2DM, metabolic syndrome and hypertension without pharmacotherapy.
authors.affiliation: UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town and Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa. noakes@iafrica.com.
authors.forename: Timothy David
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Noakes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000178:diet therapy*; D050528:Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000178:diet therapy*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000178:diet therapy*; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000178:diet therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy*; D057566:Self Report; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats