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Research Summary
Analyzed using Evidence Intelligence™

Low-Carbohydrate Diet May Help Weight Loss in Pre-Diabetes

Powered by the Dediabetes Evidence Intelligence™ framework

Last updated August 22, 2026

Key finding

Mean weight loss in kilogram was 4.3 (SD 4.8) at 6 months.

This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet (VLCD) for weight loss in individuals with pre-diabetes.

Quick read

Study at a glance

The essential study design details in one scan.

EvidenceScore™

Moderate

Study type

RCTs

Follow-up

Long-Term (1–5 y)

Risk of bias

Some Concerns

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Plain-language summary

What this paper says

A plain-language read of the study’s main message and where it applies.

Study focus

This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet (VLCD) for weight loss in individuals with pre-diabetes.

Clinical relevance

Weight management is crucial for individuals with pre-diabetes to prevent progression to type 2 diabetes. This study suggests that a VLCD could be an effective dietary approach, potentially leading to significant weight loss and improved health outcomes.

Keep in mind

Small sample size may limit generalizability. Lack of long-term follow-up data. Unclear effectiveness due to insufficient statistical analysis.

Published in

Journal Reference

Publication details and source links for this paper.

Dina HG, Laura S, Kaitlyn P, et al. An LC-DPP is feasible, acceptable and may be an effective option to help individuals with pre-diabetes to lose weight. BMJ Open. 2020;10(1):e033397. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033397

View DOIView on PubMedView on PMC

Main Effects

Participants lost an average of 4.3 kg at 6 months and 4.9 kg at 12 months.

38% of participants achieved ≥5% weight loss at 12 months.

Mean attendance was 10.3 out of 16 weekly sessions.

HbA1c levels changed by -0.1% at 6 months and 0.06% at 12 months.

Evidence network

How this study fits

Understand where this research contributes within the broader evidence network.

Evidence Context

This study contributes evidence to Low-carbohydrate diet and HbA1c, Mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions, Proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeks, and 1 more.

This study contributes evidence to

Intervention

Low-carbohydrate diet

Outcome

HbA1c

Evidence topic

Dietary Patterns

Primary intervention

Low-carbohydrate diet

Primary outcomes

  • HbA1c
  • Mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions
  • Proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeks

Evidence topics

Dietary PatternsWeight LossHbA1c Reduction

Primary intervention

Low-carbohydrate diet

Primary outcomes

HbA1cMean attendance at lifestyle change program sessionsProportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeks

Evidence relationships

Intervention and outcome relationships this study adds to the evidence network.

4
Evidence pairs
4
Relationships
3
Evidence topics
contributes_evidence

Editorial context

Why this study matters

See why this paper is useful beyond its individual results.

Evidence network role

This section describes how the study fits into the current evidence network. It does not determine whether an intervention works on its own.

Moderate contributionModerate confidenceNetwork score: 68

3

Related topics

4

Evidence pairs

1787

Related studies

High relevance in at least one topic

Why it is useful

  • Contributes to 4 evidence relationships
  • Includes primary outcome data
  • Linked to 3 direct semantic evidence topics

Topic contributions

Evidence topic

Contributes evidence

Evidence topic

Contributes evidence

Evidence topic

Contributes evidence

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Primary evidence

Evidence relationship

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education and Body Weight

Related evidence

Evidence relationship

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education and HbA1c

Save evidence

Evidence relationship

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education and Weight Loss Outcomes

Save evidence

Core evidence

Study findings

The primary outcomes reported in this study.

HbA1c

Low-carbohydrate diet → HbA1c

Low-carbohydrate diet → HbA1c

Evidence Intelligence™
EvidenceScore™
86
Strong
ImpactScore™
82
Positive
ConsistencyScore™
65
generally_consistent
Supporting studies: Based on 24 studies
Add to Evidence Tracker

Mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions

Low-carbohydrate diet → Mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions

Low-carbohydrate diet → Mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions

Evidence Intelligence™
EvidenceScore™
Emerging
Score 59 · Based on 1 study
ImpactScore™
100
Very Positive
ConsistencyScore™
unclear
Not enough independent studies
Supporting studies: Based on 1 study
Add to Evidence Tracker

Proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeks

Low-carbohydrate diet → Proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeks

Low-carbohydrate diet → Proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeks

Evidence Intelligence™
EvidenceScore™
Emerging
Score 59 · Based on 1 study
ImpactScore™
25
Negative
ConsistencyScore™
unclear
Not enough independent studies
Supporting studies: Based on 1 study
Add to Evidence Tracker

Weight change

Low-carbohydrate diet → Weight change

Low-carbohydrate diet → Weight change

Evidence Intelligence™
EvidenceScore™
Moderate
Score 69 · Based on 2 studies
ImpactScore™
100
Very Positive
ConsistencyScore™
100
consistent
Supporting studies: Based on 2 studies
Add to Evidence Tracker

Evidence Library

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evidence suggest

Evidence Suggest

  • Average weight loss of 4.3 kg at 6 months.
  • 38% of participants lost ≥5% of their body weight.
  • High attendance rates indicate good program acceptance.
who this applies

Who this applies to

  • Adults diagnosed with pre-diabetes.
  • Individuals seeking dietary interventions for weight loss.
keep in mind

Keep in Mind

  • Results may not apply to larger or more diverse populations.
  • Further research is needed to confirm long-term effectiveness.
  • The study did not assess the impact of other lifestyle factors.
between the lines

Between the Lines

  • Small sample size may limit generalizability.
  • Lack of long-term follow-up data.
  • Unclear effectiveness due to insufficient statistical analysis.

Evidence Library

Build your evidence library

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Connected Evidence

Explore related studies, evidence collections, and research questions.

Relationships organized using the Dediabetes Evidence Intelligence™ framework.

Powered by the Dediabetes Evidence Intelligence™ framework

This study contributes to evidence on Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education and HbA1c, Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education and Body Weight.

Related evidence relationships

Explore in Evidence Explorer

This study contributes to the evidence on the following intervention-outcome relationships.

Questions answered by this study

Generated from the study's connected evidence using Evidence Intelligence™.

Does Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education affect body weight?

Strong Evidence

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education appears to affect body weight.

ConsistencyScore™: Results are consistent across studies.

Ranked evidence signals

  1. 1

    Weight change

    EvidenceScore™ Moderate | EvidenceScore™ 69.0 | strong positive | ConsistencyScore™ Consistent | 1 study

Why this answer: This answer is based on 17 supporting studies with consistent results and a positive effect signal.

17 supporting studies
View Full Evidence

Does Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education lower HbA1c?

Strong Evidence

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education may lower HbA1c.

ConsistencyScore™: Results are generally consistent across studies.

Ranked evidence signals

  1. 1

    HbA1c

    EvidenceScore™ Strong | EvidenceScore™ 86.0 | moderate positive | ConsistencyScore™ Generally Consistent | 1 study

Why this answer: This answer is based on 28 supporting studies with generally consistent results and a positive effect signal.

28 supporting studies
View Full Evidence

Does Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education affect weight loss outcomes?

Emerging Evidence

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Education may have an unfavorable effect on weight loss outcomes or be associated with harm.

ConsistencyScore™: Consistency cannot yet be determined from the available evidence.

Ranked evidence signals

  1. 1

    Proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeks

    EvidenceScore™ Emerging | EvidenceScore™ 59.0 | moderate negative | ConsistencyScore™ Unclear | 1 study

Why this answer: This answer is based on a single supporting study.

Limitations

  • Only one supporting study is available.
1 supporting study
View Full Evidence

Does Low-carbohydrate diet improve mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions?

Emerging Evidence

Low-carbohydrate diet appears to improve mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions.

ConsistencyScore™: Consistency cannot yet be determined from the available evidence.

Ranked evidence signals

  1. 1

    Mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions

    EvidenceScore™ Emerging | EvidenceScore™ 59.0 | strong positive | ConsistencyScore™ Unclear | 1 study

Why this answer: This answer is based on a single supporting study.

Limitations

  • Only one supporting study is available.
1 supporting study
View Full Evidence
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Next steps

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Evidence topics

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Dietary Patterns Evidence HubWeight Loss Evidence HubHbA1c Reduction Evidence Hub

Explore in Evidence Explorer

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All studies on Low-carbohydrate diet and Weight changeAll studies on Low-carbohydrate diet and Proportion of participants achieving weight loss of 15% or more at 52 weeksAll studies on Low-carbohydrate diet and HbA1cAll studies on Low-carbohydrate diet and Mean attendance at lifestyle change program sessions

Related research

Read related research summaries.

Carbohydrate restriction lowers HbA1c but not β-cell function in T2DFood-based diet improves weight and glycaemic control in type 2 diabetesModerate Carbohydrate Diet Improves Glycemic Control in Type 1 DiabetesKetogenic diet improves weight and blood glucose control in type 2 diabetesLow-Carbohydrate Diet Improves Glycemic Control in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

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