Effects of a Low-Carbohydrate High-Fat Diet Combined with High-Intensity Interval Training on Body Composition and Maximal Oxygen Uptake: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Jing Hu, Zhen Wang, Bingkai Lei, Junping Li and Ruiyuan Wang
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Jing Hu: School of Sports Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China
Zhen Wang: School of Sports Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China
Bingkai Lei: School of Sports Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China
Junping Li: School of Sports Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China
Ruiyuan Wang: School of Sports Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: The low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diet has recently been subject to attention on account of its reported influences on body composition and physical performance. However, the combined effect of LCHF with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to explore the effect of the LCHF diet combined with HIIT on human body composition (i.e., body weight (BM), body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), body fat percentage (BFP), fat-free mass (FFM)) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ). Online libraries (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, CNKI, Wan Fang) were used to search initial studies until July 2021, from which 10 out of 2440 studies were included. WMD served as the effect size with a confidence interval value of 95%. The results of meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in BM (WMD = ?5.299; 95% CI: ?7.223, ?3.376, p = 0.000), BMI (WMD = ?1.150; 95% CI: ?2.225, ?0.075, p = 0.036), BFP (WMD = ?2.787; 95% CI: ?4.738, ?0.835, p = 0.005) and a significant increase in VO 2max (WMD = 3.311; 95% CI: 1.705, 4.918, p = 0.000), while FM (WMD = ?2.221; 95% CI: ?4.582, 0.139, p = 0.065) and FFM (WMD = 0.487; 95% CI: ?3.512, 4.469, p = 0.814) remained unchanged. In conclusion, the LCHF diet combined with HIIT can reduce weight and fat effectively. This combination is sufficient to prevent muscle mass loss during LCHF, and further enhance VO 2max . Further research might be required to clarify the effect of other types of exercise on body composition and physical performance during LCHF.

Keywords: low-carbohydrate high-fat diet; high-intensity interval training; body composition; maximal oxygen uptake; weight loss; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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