Are Low-Carbohydrate Diets Safe and Effective?

The rate of obesity has dramatically increased since the 1970s and is the second leading preventive cause of death in the United States.1 In 2014 alone, the US weight loss market totaled $64 billion, with approximately 20% of adults attempting weight loss through various diets.2 One such diet, the low-carbohydrate diet (LCD), was advocated as early as 1869 in William Banting’s Letter on Corpulence.3 The LCD regained popularity with the 1972 publication of Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution: The High Calorie Way to Stay Thin Forever.4 Notably, Atkins did not publish safety or efficacy findings in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal. Since then, many variations of LCDs have been popularized.