A collaborative study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, reveals that following a keto diet is not as healthy as mainstream ideas think and can lead to higher LDL cholesterol levels, increased apolipoprotein B, and a reduction in certain beneficial gut bacteria.
While previous research has shown that the keto diet can aid in weight loss, it also suggests potential health risks such as nutritional deficiencies, digestive issues, kidney stones, and long-term bone problems.
In this study, volunteers adopted a ketogenic diet for a month, allowing researchers to observe its impact on their bodies. The ketogenic diet involves drastically cutting carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fats from sources like meat, dairy, cheese, and eggs.
The study involved a randomized controlled trial of 53 non-obese adults, divided into three groups: one on a ketogenic diet, another on a low-sugar diet, and a control group following a moderate diet.
After a month, the results were ominous for the keto diet arm. Participants on the ketogenic diet lost an average of 1.6 kg of fat but experienced a 16% increase in LDL cholesterol and a 26% rise in apolipoprotein B, a protein associated with artery clogging. Conversely, those on the low-sugar diet lost an average of 1 kg of fat, saw a 10% reduction in LDL cholesterol, and had no change in apolipoprotein B levels.
Moreover, the ketogenic dieters showed reduced levels of gut bacteria essential for a strong immune system and vitamin B production.
Health is more than just “I feel good on this diet” and losing weight, it means the resilience and chances of developing medical problems, this is the problem with the keto diet. It actually is not healthy diet and increases the risk of many other medical problems.
Eat the healthier plant-based diet instead.
A Hengist et al. Ketogenic diet but not free-sugar restriction alters glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, peripheral tissue phenotype, and gut microbiome: RCT. Cell Reports Medicine (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101667
