A review of low carbohydrate diet and its metabolic consequences

Abstract

Diets low in carbohydrate (low-CHO diets) has become the focus of international attention because of the recent WHO recommendations to reduce the overall consumption of sugars and rapidly digestible starches that lead to high glycaemic responses. Low-CHO diets contain less than 100 g CHO/day with a nutrient distribution being 50–60% from fat, less than 30% from CHO, and 20–30% from protein. Following a low carbohydrate diet, there is a shift towards more fat and less carbohydrate oxidation to provide energy to skeletal muscle. This review summarizes recent work on low carbohydrate diet and fat metabolic adaptations to a low carbohydrate diet along with metabolic changes.