Summary of findings for low carbohydrate diets compared with balanced diets for overweight and obese adults at 1–2 years follow-up.

CI: Confidence interval;
aNote this is the univariate average change observed between follow-up and baseline in the control group.
GRADE Working Group grades of evidence.
High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect.
Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate.
Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate.
Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate.
1Downgraded by 1 for risk of bias: 5 of 7 studies did not report adequate sequence generation and only 1 reported adequate allocation concealment. 5 studies were judged to have a high or unclear risk of attrition bias.
2Downgraded by 1 for risk of bias: the study did not report adequate allocation concealment and reasons for attrition differed between groups.
3Downgraded by 1 for imprecision: difference in mean BMI change ranges from a reduction of −0.94 to an increase of 0.14 kg/m2 (approximately equivalent to 2 to 4 kilograms).
4Downgraded by 1 for risk of bias: 4 of 6 studies did not report adequate sequence generation and 5 studies did not report adequate allocation concealment. 2 studies had high total attrition (>20%), 1 of which also had differential attrition.