Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure Clinical Commissioning Groups use consistent criteria in relation to the clinical effectiveness of low carbohydrate diets when making local commissioning decisions .

In the United Kingdom, the Government recommends that most people should follow a healthy balanced diet based on fruit and vegetables and higher fibre starchy carbohydrates, as illustrated by the national Eatwell Guide, available to view at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/742750/Eatwell_Guide_booklet_2018v4.pdf

Government advice on carbohydrates is based on recommendations made by Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition in its Carbohydrates and Health report. This report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-carbohydrates-and-health-report.

Low carbohydrate diets appear to have an effect on weight loss in the short term, but there is no difference in weight after about 12 months, compared to losing weight through conventional weight loss diets. Further information on this can be viewed at the following links:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12405

https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-00597/low-fat-or-low-carbohydrate-diets-seem-just-as-effective-for-weight-loss

The Department would expect clinical commissioning groups to take account of Government and Public Health England guidance.