Long-Term Evidence CCARBS Study

Low-carb diets are criticized for a lack of long-term evidence that shows such a dietary approach not only enables one to maintain weight loss, but also poses no long-term risks to overall health. Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University currently is investigating the long-term effects of controlled-carb diets in a study called CCARBS (The Controlled Carbohydrate Assessment Registry Bank Study).

In a press release about the study it was said that CCARBS will address many of the ongoing and long-term questions posed by the growing role of controlled carbohydrate weight-loss diets in obesity and obesity-related disease management. The study will also function as a unique source of ongoing data for qualified investigators and journalists seeking to answer specific hypotheses and questions. CCARBS is the first database to provide an accurate assessment of the controlled carbohydrate lifestyle population in the United States.

The purpose of CCARBS is to establish an Internet-based epidemiological cohort of dieters who are using or have used controlled carbohydrate diets. With the data we collect we plan to identify key lifestyle patterns associated with using controlled carbohydrate diets and predictors of success with using them. We will also be looking at the effect of controlled carbohydrate diets on cholesterol levels and other blood lipids in a subset of CCARBS participants and compare them to age and gender-matched people who use low-fat diets for weight control.

The eligibility criteria for becoming a participant in the CCARB study is:

• To have been on a controlled carbohydrate diet for at least two months within the past two years
• To be 18 years or older
• To be willing to answer questionnaires online for three years (at baseline, three months and then annually for three years)

If you'd like to learn more about participating in this landmark study, please visit their website at http://epi.aecom.yu.edu/ccarbs