Is energy expenditure affected by low-carbohydrate diets?
The question whether low-carbohydrate diets increase energy expenditure more than low-fat diets is not clear. In one study with 50 obese females with moderate obesity resting energy expenditure was measured prior to, during and after a 4-month-dieting period with either a low-carbohydrate diet ad libitum or a restricted low-fat diet.5 The subjects in the low-carbohydrate group started with 20 g carbohydrate a day for 2 weeks to induce ketosis and thereafter increased their carbohydrate intake to 40–60 g per day. The low-fat diet group consumed after 2 months around 133972 kcal, per day with the macronutrient distribution being 55% carbohydrate, 15% protein and 30% fat. The low-carbohydrate diet group consumed 1288104 kcal, per day with the macronutrient composition being 15% carbohydrate, 28% protein and 57% fat. Both groups lost body weight, fat and fat-free mass. However, the loss of fat tissue was greater in the low-carbohydrate group than in the low-fat group. Resting energy expend
