Are Low-Carb Diets Actually Safe? A Closer Look at the Science
For years, the mainstream message has been clear: avoid saturated fat, eat lots of grains, and whatever you do—don’t go low-carb. It’s been drilled into us by the USDA, dietitians, and health authorities. But what if that advice is wrong?
Nina Teicholz, journalist, researcher, and author of The Big Fat Surprise, has been challenging the nutrition status quo for over a decade. And now, she's back at the forefront with a new peer-reviewed study that directly confronts one of the biggest myths in modern nutrition: that low-carb and ketogenic diets are dangerous for your health.
What Nina Found
In a 2024 review published in Nutrition Reviews, Teicholz and her team looked at over 100 controlled studies on low-carb diets. The conclusion? These diets are not only safe—they’re often more effective than low-fat diets when it comes to treating obesity, managing type 2 diabetes, and even improving markers of heart health.
Let that sink in. A diet that’s still dismissed by many health professionals is now backed by solid evidence as one of the best options for improving metabolic health.
Top Findings from the Study
Improved Weight Loss: Low-carb diets consistently outperformed low-fat diets for long-term fat loss—especially when calories weren’t restricted.
Better Blood Sugar Control: For people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, carbohydrate restriction often led to lower A1C levels and improved insulin sensitivity.
Heart Health Benefits: Contrary to decades of fearmongering, low-carb diets showed improvements in triglycerides and HDL (the “good” cholesterol), both of which are stronger predictors of heart disease than LDL alone.
Reduced Inflammation: Some studies showed a drop in inflammatory markers, a key factor in chronic disease.
Why This Matters
The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines still promote a high-carb, low-fat approach. That’s a problem. As chronic disease rates continue to rise—especially obesity and diabetes—many people are left confused, frustrated, and stuck in a cycle of failed diets.
This new review highlights what many of us in the low-carb community have experienced firsthand: when you stop fearing fat and cut down on sugar and refined carbs, your health improves. Weight stabilizes, energy returns, and brain fog lifts.
How This Blog Was Born
When I began my formal journey in nutrition, one of the first classes I took was Writing and Research. That course opened my eyes. I realized that simply “Googling” something often gives you the most popular answer—not the most accurate one. I learned how to dig deeper, how to follow the evidence, and most importantly—where to find science-based answers.
That’s what inspired this blog.
We’ve been told so many things about food and health for decades, and much of it hasn’t been rooted in science. Instead, it’s led us down a path of confusion and chronic illness. Metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure are now treated as hereditary conditions—when many of them are actually preventable, even reversible, by addressing the root cause: what we eat.
The sad truth? Most doctors aren’t trained to find root causes. They’re trained to medicate and operate. Imagine how different things would be if your doctor handed you a food plan instead of a prescription pad. That’s not a radical idea—it’s what real healing should look like.
My Take
I’ve followed a ketogenic lifestyle for eight years now. I’ve lived this research. No constipation. No cravings. No fear of fat. Just stability, clarity, and relief from chronic pain.
This study by Nina Teicholz confirms what so many of us have known all along—but were often told wasn’t true. Low-carb isn’t a fad. It’s not dangerous. It’s a powerful, science-backed approach to reclaiming your health.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been on the fence about trying a low-carb or keto lifestyle, let this be the nudge you need. The science is catching up, and it's pointing in one clear direction: low-carb works, and it works safely.
You don’t have to live in fear of fat. You don’t have to be ruled by sugar crashes or cravings. You don’t have to trust outdated food guidelines that were never based on solid science to begin with.
Trust your body. Trust real food. And start asking questions.
Source of Nina Teicholz’s Study:
Myths and facts regarding low-carbohydrate diets
Published in: Nutrition Reviews, Volume 82, Issue 1, January 2024
Authors: Nina Teicholz, David S. Ludwig, Jeff Volek, Laura Saslow, et al.
You can access the full article via Oxford Academic:
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/82/1/1/7356606
This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
In crafting this blog post, I aimed to encapsulate the essence of research findings while presenting the information in a reader-friendly format that promotes critical thinking and informed decision-making.
