Are there health benefits to a low carb diet?

    Yes.

    But weight loss isn’t one of them. Weight loss (or gain) depends on calories in versus calories out much more than on the ratio of macronutrients in your diet. A low-carb diet, however, can preserve muscle mass during weight loss and improve your levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and fasting glucose.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

    References

    1. ^Golay A, Allaz AF, Morel Y, de Tonnac N, Tankova S, Reaven GSimilar weight loss with low- or high-carbohydrate dietsAm J Clin Nutr.(1996 Feb)
    2. ^Golay A, Eigenheer C, Morel Y, Kujawski P, Lehmann T, de Tonnac NWeight-loss with low or high carbohydrate dietInt J Obes Relat Metab Disord.(1996 Dec)
    3. ^Parker B, Noakes M, Luscombe N, Clifton PEffect of a high-protein, high-monounsaturated fat weight loss diet on glycemic control and lipid levels in type 2 diabetesDiabetes Care.(2002 Mar)
    4. ^Noakes M, Keogh JB, Foster PR, Clifton PMEffect of an energy-restricted, high-protein, low-fat diet relative to a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet on weight loss, body composition, nutritional status, and markers of cardiovascular health in obese womenAm J Clin Nutr.(2005 Jun)
    5. ^Keogh JB, Luscombe-Marsh ND, Noakes M, Wittert GA, Clifton PMLong-term weight maintenance and cardiovascular risk factors are not different following weight loss on carbohydrate-restricted diets high in either monounsaturated fat or protein in obese hyperinsulinaemic men and womenBr J Nutr.(2007 Feb)
    6. ^Farnsworth E, Luscombe ND, Noakes M, Wittert G, Argyiou E, Clifton PMEffect of a high-protein, energy-restricted diet on body composition, glycemic control, and lipid concentrations in overweight and obese hyperinsulinemic men and womenAm J Clin Nutr.(2003 Jul)
    7. ^McLaughlin T, Carter S, Lamendola C, Abbasi F, Yee G, Schaaf P, Basina M, Reaven GEffects of moderate variations in macronutrient composition on weight loss and reduction in cardiovascular disease risk in obese, insulin-resistant adultsAm J Clin Nutr.(2006 Oct)
    8. ^Boden G, Sargrad K, Homko C, Mozzoli M, Stein TPEffect of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite, blood glucose levels, and insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetesAnn Intern Med.(2005 Mar 15)
    9. ^Brooking LA, Williams SM, Mann JIEffects of macronutrient composition of the diet on body fat in indigenous people at high risk of type 2 diabetesDiabetes Res Clin Pract.(2012 Apr)
    10. ^Mojtahedi MC, Thorpe MP, Karampinos DC, Johnson CL, Layman DK, Georgiadis JG, Evans EMThe effects of a higher protein intake during energy restriction on changes in body composition and physical function in older womenJ Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci.(2011 Nov)