Low-carb meal plans can provide sufficient fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
In the past ten years, low-carbohydrate diets have become twice as popular. Research indicates that adopting a low-carb lifestyle can significantly enhance overall health and may even help manage or reverse type 2 diabetes. However, there are still doubts about the nutritional adequacy of these diets. Critics contend that cutting down on carbohydrates may result in excessive intake of protein or fat, while leading to a lack of essential nutrients.
That misconception has been put to rest with a new study in Frontiers in Nutrition, which demonstrated that well-constructed low-carb eating patterns can meet, and sometimes even safely exceed, people’s nutrient needs.
The study assessed the nutrient adequacy of three different 7-day low-carb meal plans: two ketogenic diets – one that averaged approximately 20 grams of net carbs per day, one that provided an average of about 40 grams of net carbs per day – and one more liberalized plan that contained an average of around 100 grams of net carbs per day. (Net carbs equate to total grams of carbohydrates minus total grams of fiber consumed.) All three plans met the consensus definition of a low-carb diet, which includes less than 130 grams of carbs per day.
Nutritional Benefits of Low-Carb Diets
All three low-carb meal plans safely exceeded nutrient needs for vitamins A, C, D, E, K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, and vitamins B6 and B12 for both men and women aged 31-70.
“Many Americans struggle to get the nutrients they need from typical food choices,” notes study co-author Beth Bradley, PhD, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Vermont. “Our findings suggest that, in addition to their well-established ability to support weight management, low-carb eating patterns can actually help promote better diet quality and close critical nutrient gaps.”
Only for certain sub-populations with higher needs did a few nutrients fall slightly short in the low-carb meal plans (e.g., iron for younger women and calcium for older adults).
Notably, the two meal plans containing 40 grams and 100 grams of net carbohydrates, respectively, also provided more than enough fiber for women aged 31-70. Given low-carb diets are especially popular among middle-aged women, meeting the nutrient needs of this population is especially relevant.
“The idea that a low-carb diet must also be low in fiber is simply not supported by the data,” Dr. Bradley explains. “High-fiber foods are actually an important part of a low-carb lifestyle, in part because fiber-rich food choices can help lower net carbohydrate intake. Non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and, in moderation, even higher-carb fruits, starchy vegetables, and whole grains can contribute fiber to the diet while keeping overall net carb intake in check, especially in the more liberal low-carb approach.”
Macronutrient Balance and Nutrient Ratios
While all three of the low-carb meal plans were higher than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein, protein levels still fell within the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range of 10-35% of daily calories. In other words, the meal plans provided more protein than what is needed to prevent deficiency but did not deliver an excessive amount that would be considered unsafe.
Though lower in saturated fat and sodium compared to the average American diet, the meal plans also slightly exceeded recommendations for saturated fat and sodium. However, they also offered more beneficial omega-6 to omega-3 and sodium-to-potassium ratios.
“Nutrition is often more complex than simply tallying the totals you see on a menu or a food label,” says Dr. Bradley. “Which foods your nutrients come from and how they fit within the broader context of your overall diet may play a more important role in determining health outcomes. For example, a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. And similarly, a more optimal sodium to potassium ratio may help lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.”
The latest study findings add to the robust and growing evidence base demonstrating the role a lower-carb lifestyle can play in supporting good diet quality, overall well-being, and the management or reversal of diet-related disease. While some people (e.g., younger women, and older adults) may benefit from dietary supplements to meet all of their individual needs, the low-carb diet provides a strong nutritional foundation for health.
Reference: “Nutrient analysis of three low-carbohydrate diets differing in carbohydrate content” by Lani Banner, Beth H. Rice Bradley and Jonathan Clinthorne, 5 August 2024, Frontiers in Nutrition.
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1449109
This research was funded by Simply Good Foods USA, Inc. The funder had the following involvement in the study: designed and analyzed the dietary pattern modeling and helped write the manuscript.
LB and JC are employees of, and JC is a shareholder in, Simply Good Foods USA, Inc. Simply Good Foods owns Atkins and Quest Nutrition, brands that sell low-carbohydrate food products.
The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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13 Comments
“That misconception has been put to rest with a new study …”
I would take that assertion with a grain of table salt. Roughly half of all medical studies have turned out to not be reproducible. One study alone does not end the debate. All potential confounding factors have to be examined closely, and then there should be several studies confirming the conclusion with no exceptions. Lastly, one has to keep in mind that correlation does not establish cause and effect.
I agree. These articles are really press releases, and the science is really to prove a point, which is biased. “This research was funded by Simply Good Foods USA, Inc. The funder had the following involvement in the study: designed and analyzed the dietary pattern modeling and helped write the manuscript.
LB and JC are employees of, and JC is a shareholder in, Simply Good Foods USA, Inc. Simply Good Foods owns Atkins and Quest Nutrition, brands that sell low-carbohydrate food products.”
The moral of the story is that scientific research is about product promotion. Although I must say that I agree with the healthy benefit of a high protein, low carb diet. If you also think that, then this article allows some bias confirmation from a biased study.
On the other hand, there’s been relentless junk-science opposition to low-carb diets funded by big food and pharma since Atkins published in ’73. Consequently, obesity has gone from 15% to over 40% today, diabetes from 2.2% to over 12%. So it’s encouraging to see low-carb gaining a little ground – after all, it’s a remedy for insulin-resistance and perhaps a few more diabetics may avoid the line of the purblind and limbless waiting for dialysis …
Agreed, also study was paid for by….
I agree for slightly different reasons.
“Low carb diets CAN meet and exceed nutritional requirements” doesn’t mean that the most popular versions of these diets as they are practiced do-or-will
I eat relatively low carb but I go in heavily on cruciferous vegetables and high water content fruits. Many Low/No carb diets and influencers thereof don’t even do that.
Haters gonna hate. Two years low carb diet type 2 diabetes gone. Weight loss over 100 lbs. Hard to argue with results.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out. There is no maximum RDA on protein and you can eat as many veggies as you want on low-carb. Most of the carbs people consume are refined and have less nutritional value than most veggies. Just replace your carbs with veggies and eat a bit more protein.
That’s completely ans utterly wrong: Ketogenic diets and similar ones set ridiculously low targets like <30g/day so you "Stay in Ketosis"
I was on low carb for over a year. I had great success with it. But I stopped because I was having issues with low blood pressure. Doctors were constantly worried about my low Blood pressure. I blew it off for a while, and then I kept getting numbness in my feet and legs. I decided it probably wasn’t a good thing For me anymore. I also fell into the trap of low carb Keto Foods Like the bread that are full of chemicals. I might have been okay if it was just meat and vegetables But I didn’t. Now, I am focused on a non chemical diet and Not overloading on carbohydrates. Chemicals are killing people. It might be very slowly, but overtime It is killing people. And people don’t care because it tastes so good. In my opinion, these food companies are no better then Someone who guns someone down. They’re just doing it with children’s cereals And snacks. God bless you all.
This study only looked at the nutritional make up of uneaten meals, not how these meals actually performed in humans. Research into the effect of low-card, high-fats diets has found that they seem to be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes, but for all others, there’s a correlation to long-term weight gain, cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and (somewhat ironically) developing type 2 diabetes. Here’s a study that used 40,000 actual, real people to derive its data:
https://www.sciencealert.com/common-weight-loss-diet-may-come-with-a-serious-downside-long-term-study-finds
Zoe – Apples and oranges. The study you gave a link to is not even relevant, because it defines “lower-carb” as deriving 38% of energy from carbs, and higher-carb as getting 55% from carbs. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, 38% would amount to about 150 grams of carbs – a ridiculously high amount to define as low-carb. Keto diets, which are ultra-low-carb, allow only between 20-50 grams of carbs a day, but even regular low-carb diets top out at around 100 grams a day — so 150 is definitely NOT a low-carb diet. As far as dangers of heart disease, they are non-existent. Here’s a comprehensive, meticulous analysis of the literature in that area, which shows the keto diet has a marked beneficial effect on ALL aspects of heart disease. And it’s funded by a government ministry of science with no commercial ties. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10421332/
I have personally followed a keto diet for over 20 years and it’s improved my diabetes enormously, not worsened it — with no weight gain or heart problems or IBS.
Sarah, thank you for giving a REAL and solid proof of long term keto eating. I was going to also add your sentiment.
The keto diet is a medical diet first and foremost, it was not originally designed as a weight loss diet. It is an epileptic diet, which means it ABSOLUTELY is 100% designed to be maintained and lived on for long term, lifetime, sustainability is not difficult. Our country is so stuck on sweetness and starch. There is nothing that says you have to consume the alternative replacements, David, you definitely should not eat the chemical laiden breads and sweets that are “keto versions” of the old foods you ate. The idea is to stop eating those foods. Move away from sweets and carbs, altogether. I know that’s difficult, it just because a choice you make in life I guess. I have been eating clean keto since 2018. I have Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, POTS, Sjogren’s Syndrome (likely) and recently had breast cancer (from a hereditary cancer gene), I decided that I would rather eat a anti inflammatory diet (that for me is not eating sugar/ carbs), than to take pain medication. I can have fewer flare ups with my joints and have less brain fog by eating keto, but I have to maintain it, or it doesn’t function, to me, this IS my medicine, I can’t change my diet or go back to unhealthy eating, or my body starts to hurt again, and I run the risk of more arterial dissections. It’s not just about weight for some people, actually for my breast reconstruction, I had to gain weight, while maintaining, and that’s a challenge, but, my surgeons are great, he actually was very supportive of me continuing my keto and stressed his important it was that he prefer I not go back to eating sugar, said “it’s ridiculous, did you know they even put 25% more sugar into bananas, why would they do that, bananas are already sweet?!? In addition to my breast/plastic surgeon team, my Rheumatologist wanted me to add fasting to my routine to give the benefit of autophagy and cellular healing.
I love that there is some positive news coming out.
Considering that this study was conducted and funded by a company that makes and sells low carb diet products, the conflicts of interest here largely invalidate any claims made here. Do you really think a company like that is going to publish a study showing how low carb diets are not healthy? This is not real science