Effects of a low-­carbohydrate/high-­protein diet on metabolic health in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury: An exploratory analysis of results from a randomized controlled trial

This study investigated the effects of a low-carbohydrate/high-protein (LC/HP) diet on metabolic health in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). The study aimed to determine if this dietary approach could improve body composition, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, blood lipid profile, and chronic inflammation in this population. The researchers randomly assigned participants with SCI to either an 8-week LC/HP diet or a control group with their habitual diet. They carefully monitored various health indicators before and after the intervention to assess the diet's impact. The study found that the LC/HP diet led to improvements in body composition (reduced body fat and visceral fat) and blood lipid profiles (reduced total and LDL-cholesterol) compared to the control group. However, the diet's impact on glucose metabolism and inflammation was less conclusive and requires further investigation.

• 1
  The LC/HP diet led to a significant reduction in total body fat mass and visceral fat mass compared to the control group.
• 2
  Participants on the LC/HP diet experienced a notable decrease in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels compared to the control group.
• 3
  While not statistically significant, there was a trend suggesting that the LC/HP diet may improve glucose control, as indicated by a decrease in glucose concentration at 120 minutes during the oral glucose tolerance test.