Low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets for the metabolic syndrome?

This report discusses a variety of considerations and reviews recent clinical trial data relevant to the question of which dietary approach is optimal for treatment and prevention of the metabolic syndrome. Special emphasis is given to the question of whether the degree to which metabolic syndrome features are observed in an individual patient should correspond to the degree to which carbohydrate restriction should be recommended. Short-term metabolic studies lend support to this concept, but longer-term effectiveness trials suggest the degree of dietary adherence and associated weight losses, rather than diet type, are the key predictors of metabolic cardiac risk factor reduction.