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Download references. The authors thank the study participants for their cooperation. The authors thank Guangzhou Nanda Fit Nutrition and Health Consulting Co.

This study was partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant NO: , , , , the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province Grant No. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, No.

Department of Bio-Statistics, Southern Medical University, No. Department of Endocrinology, Huizhou Municipal Center Hospital, No. Department of Endocrinology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No. Department of Endocrinology, Dongguan Kanghua Hospital, Dongguan Avenue, Dongguan, Guangdong, China.

Department of Endocrinology, He Xian Memorial Hospital, No. Department of Endocrinology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, No. Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, No. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University, No.

Department of Endocrinology, The Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, No. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, No. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar.

The authors read and approved the final manuscript. JS, YTR, NNX, and PLW contributed equally to this work. JS, NNX, YTR, and PLW had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Study concept and design: HC, JS, NNX, YTR, PLW, NL, KY, SLA, PK, and HJZ. Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the data: HC, YTR, NNX, PLW, SLA, PK, HJZ, and JS. Drafting of the manuscript: JS, NNX, YTR, PLW, HJZ, and HC. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: HC, YTR, NNX, HJZ, and JS.

Statistical analysis: HC, NNX, YTR, PLW, SLA, PK, HJZ, and JS. Administrative, technical, or material support: SL, QYH, YZ, YZL, JLS, WJM, BC, XWZ, XMC, YQL, ZYL, GBD, ZZ, YQW, WHW, JS, HJZ, and HC. Study supervision: JS, HJZ, and HC.

Correspondence to Jia Sun , Huijie Zhang or Hong Chen. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Additional file 2: Fig. Adherence to the prescribed diets over 12 weeks. Metabolites changes of LC diet and CR diet at baseline and 12 weeks. Table S1. Food profile of diet interventions.

Table S2. Baseline characteristics of study participants included in completer analysis. Table S3. Daily physical activityat baseline and during follow-up. Here's how you can make them healthier. The Levels Team.

Metabolic Health. Metabolic Markers. Jennifer Chesak. Eat This Instead. Swapping white or wheat flour for these alternatives can add protein, fiber, and nutrients to your diet—and protect against big blood sugar swings. Sharon Liao. Stephanie Greunke, RD. The classic breakfast may not be as healthy as you think.

Try this swap for a warm bowl that stabilizes blood sugar and tastes great. Brittany Risher. Rich Joseph, MD. The glycemic index provides insight into how particular foods affect glucose but has limitations. Ami Kapadia. Metabolic Basics. The Explainer. Being aware of these causes of inaccurate data can help you identify—and avoid—surprising and misleading feedback.

Joy Manning, RD. Inside Levels. Levels Co-Founder's new book—Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health—releases May 14; available for pre-order today. Metabolic flexibility means that your body can switch easily between burning glucose and fat, which means you have better energy and endurance.

Dominic D'Agostino, PhD. Written By Stephanie Eckelkamp. Reviewed By Zoë Atlas, MPH, RDN. What is a low-carb diet? For example, the authors of the research review define these as: Very low-carbohydrate diets consist of less than 10 percent of total calories from carbs, or less than 50 g per day on a 2,calorie diet.

A keto diet is considered very low-carb. Low-carbohydrate diets consist of less than 26 percent of total calories from carbs, or less than g per day on a 2,calorie diet. Moderate-carbohydrate diets consist of 26 to 44 percent of total calories from carbs, or to g per day on a 2,calorie diet.

High-carbohydrate diets consist of 45 percent or more of total calories from carbs, or more than g per day on a 2,calorie diet. To put things in perspective, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that 45 to 65 percent of total daily calories come from carbohydrates, which some metabolic health experts consider unnecessarily high.

Here are a few plans: Ketogenic: This very low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat eating pattern typically consists of 15—10 percent carbs, 10—20 percent protein, and 70—80 percent fat. Often, this equates to less than 50 g of carbohydrates per day —but some plans suggest even lower, around 20 to 30 g per day.

Eating this way causes your body to shift from burning predominantly glucose for fuel to burning fat—a state known as ketosis. Keto tends to be higher in fat and lower in protein than other low-carb plans since protein may be converted to glucose in the absence of carbs, and this may prevent ketosis.

Atkins: This low-carb diet encourages the intake of fiber-rich foods by focusing on net carbs total carbs minus fiber, allulose, erythritol, and half of other sugar alcohols. There are three different Atkins plans: Atkins 20, Atkins 40, and Atkins , which allow you to consume 20, 40, and grams of net carbs , respectively.

While Atkins can be maintained indefinitely, Atkins 20 and 40 are meant to start low to support weight loss and then gradually increase net carbs up to a max of g per day from whole-food sources such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.

South Beach: This modified low-carb diet focused on weight loss has three phases. The initial phase significantly limits sugars and refined carbohydrates and focuses on lean proteins, high-fiber vegetables, and unsaturated fats.

The middle phase reintroduces some carb sources fruits, starchy vegetables, whole grains. The maintenance phase restricts total carbohydrate intake to no more than 28 percent of total calories, or about g per day.

Both typically involve avoiding refined sugars, dairy, grains, and legumes. Whole30 also avoids all forms of added sweeteners and alcohol. Carb Cycling: While not an official diet, a carb-cycling approach refers to eating low-carb or keto most of the time with short periods of higher-carb intake.

For example, every week, you might eat keto for six days followed by one day of higher-carb intake 1. The potential benefits of a low-carb diet People may choose to eat low-carb for a variety of reasons. Weight loss Several studies have found that low-carbohydrate diets promote weight loss better than higher-carb diets in the short term and have similar effects to other dietary approaches over extended periods.

But there are a few potential reasons they may be effective if maintained: Well-formulated low-carb diets e. By reducing carb intake and subsequent elevations in blood sugar, you also decrease insulin secretion. Insulin is an essential anabolic or storage hormone.

When chronically elevated due to a high-carb, high-sugar diet, it can promote the conversion of excess glucose to body fat and make it more challenging to burn stored fat, contributing to obesity and other metabolic consequences. A small study looked at 45 obese participants either on a very low-calorie ketogenic diet or a standard low-calorie diet.

The keto dieters also shed more visceral, or belly, fat. A keto diet may also help preserve lean body mass during weight loss, helping to prevent a metabolic slowdown that can often cause people to regain weight, according to research from The review authors believe further research is needed to look at the long-term efficacy and risks of the keto diet and suggest it may lead to increased cardiovascular risks.

One study suggested that because a ketogenic diet has potential anti-inflammatory properties, it may be useful for preventing gout. Talk to your doctor. Using the ketogenic diet as one aspect of cancer treatment is certainly gaining traction.

Ketosis may also improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation, suggested one review. Cantley says that more well-designed, well-controlled clinical trials are needed to show what role, if any, the keto diet may play in cancer treatment. Talk to your oncologist before any major change to your diet.

I know that some physicians recommend low-carbohydrate diets to their cancer patients, but they are in the minority.

Until the FDA [U. Women who have PCOS have an increased risk for insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. Moree says inflammation is another factor in exacerbating symptoms. One small study found that the keto diet may be positive for women with PCOS.

Still, more long-term, randomized controlled trials showing keto is safe and effective for every woman with PCOS are needed, which means the eating approach is not widely recommended as a first-line treatment for the condition. Still, more studies are needed to generalize the keto diet as a proven treatment for autism.

Some, like Richard Isaacson, MD , adjunct associate professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, are supportive of low-carb diets. Indeed, it may benefit some. For others with certain genetics, though, it may be harmful, says Dr.

Anyone going on keto needs to have his or her labs taken throughout the process, and do it in conjunction with their treating physician and a registered dietitian, he says.

According to a study that Dr. Krikorian led, published in , ketosis appears to have multiple effects, including improved brain function and cognition, potentially by way of enhancing energy production and normalizing insulin levels in the brain. One reason that low-carb diets like keto may improve cognitive functioning is through reducing insulin secretion in the body.

People with type 1 diabetes are insulin dependent. If you are working very closely with a doctor knowledgeable in keto and this is something they recommend, then by all means follow their advice.

But people with this disease should not put themselves on keto, says Moree. If you have a history of an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia , or disordered eating, you should not be following a restrictive diet; doing so can cause a relapse.

Instead, seek out a registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders , who will have the tools to help you address these complex diseases. BED is also an eating disorder, but it warrants being called out specifically here.

Tread with caution if you have a thyroid disorder — that includes hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism — says Fleck.

In a small pilot study published in PLoS One , participants lost more body mass after being on a keto diet than those who were on a high-carb, low-fat diet; and there was also a positive change in the concentration of thyroid hormones that the researchers suggested warranted further investigation.

As always, talk to a doctor who has experience in ketogenic diets and who will monitor your thyroid levels while on one. But research on a keto diet for people with MS is severely lacking. One review from noted that in test tube and animal studies the keto diet may improve the function of mitochondria the powerhouse of cells and increase ATP production cellular energy , thereby theoretically preserving brain function and slowing the progression of MS.

Still, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society notes that there are still questions about the long-term safety of such diets, and they can exacerbate fatigue and constipation , both common side effects of MS.

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