The effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite: A randomized controlled trial
Open accessAbstract
Background and aims The relationship between dietary macronutrient composition and appetite is controversial. We examined the effects of a year-long low-carbohydrate diet compared to a low-fat diet on appetite-related hormones and self-reported change in appetite.Methods and results A total of 148 adults with a body mass index 30-45 kg/m(2), who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease at baseline were randomly assigned to either a low-carbohydrate diet (carbohydrate [excluding dietary fiber]<40 g/day; N = 75) or a low-fat diet (<30% energy from fat, <7% from saturated fat; N = 73). Participants in both groups attended individual and group dietary counseling sessions where they were provided the same behavioral curriculum and advised to maintain baseline levels of physical activity. Appetite and appetite-related hormones were measured at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months of intervention. At 12 months, mean changes (95% CI) in peptide YY were -34.8 pg/mL (-41.0 to -28.6) and in the low-carbohydrate group and -44.2 pg/mL (-50.4 to -38.0) in the low-fat group (net change: 9.54 pg/mL [0.6 to 18.2]; p = 0.036). Approximately 99% of dietary effects on peptide YY are explained by differences in dietary macronutrient content. There was no difference in change in ghrelin or self-reported change in appetite between the groups.Conclusions A low-fat diet reduced peptide YY more than a low-carbohydrate diet. These findings suggest that satiety may be better preserved on a low-carbohydrate diet, as compared to a low fat diet.Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00609271.
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One trial reported no differences in ghrelin levels or self-reported appetite from a very-low-carbohydrate diet (<40 g/d) compared to a low-fat diet (<30% energy intake).
“One trial that assessed ghrelin levels and self-reported appetite reported no differences in either measures from a very low-carbohydrate diet (< 40g/d) compared to a low-fat diet (<30% from energy intake) [67].”
From Benefits of low carbohydrate diets: a settled question or still controversial? (2021) · cites this paper as [67]
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- Authors
- Hu, T., Yao, L., Reynolds, K., Niu, T., Li, S., Whelton, P., He, J., & Bazzano, L.
- Affiliations
- Tulane University (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Kaiser Permanente (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hu, T.
- Venue
- Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-06
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 476-488
- ISSN
- 0939-4753 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4873405
- OpenAlex
- W2204781019
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 0.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Center for Research Resources (P20RR017659)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Diet and metabolism studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Dietary Effects on Health
- Keywords
- low-carbohydrate diet, low-fat diet, appetite, peptide YY, ghrelin, satiety, macronutrient composition, obesity, nutrition counseling, appetite-regulating hormones
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Appetite Regulation, Counseling, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Satiation, Time Factors, Biomarkers, Weight Loss, Exercise, Treatment Outcome, Diet, Fat-Restricted, Peptide YY, Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted, Ghrelin, Young Adult, New Orleans
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