Supporting people to implement a reduced carbohydrate diet: a qualitative study in family practice.

This study provides important experience-based evidence on a topical dietary intervention. Participants strongly advocated for the use of low-carb diets. The successes described draw attention to the need for pragmatic, formative evaluation of low-carb advice and support as a 'complex intervention' (alongside physiological research), to justify, challenge and/or shape low-carb intervention in clinical practice. The findings raise important questions about the contribution of particular care practices to the apparent success of low-carb. Social science analyses can elucidate how dietary intervention is carried out across different healthcare settings (eg, dietetics, endocrinology) and patient groups, how healthcare practices intersect with people's everyday self-management and how different forms of evidence are invoked and prioritised.