Carbohydrates and Health

5.151 The trials do provide evidence that an energy-restricted higher carbohydrate,
lower fat diet, as compared with a lower carbohydrate, higher fat diet, may be
beneficial as a dietary strategy for reducing body mass index, but there is high
heterogeneity between trials and the evidence is limited due to a relatively small
number of trials. The hypothesis that diets higher in total carbohydrate cause
weight gain is not supported by the evidence from randomised controlled trials
considered in this review.
5.152 Overall, prospective cohort studies indicate that total carbohydrate is neither
detrimental nor beneficial to cardio-metabolic health and is not associated with
risk of colo-rectal cancer. The randomised controlled trials do indicate some
effects on cardiovascular risk factors, but it is not possible to exclude confounding
by a concomitant reduction in saturated fatty acid intake and total fat and/or
differences in weight loss between experimental groups. There is some evidence
that an energy restricted, higher carbohydrate, lower fat diet may be an effective
strategy for reducing body mass index and body weight.
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