A low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, such as the ketogenic (keto) diet, may offer more health benefits for people with obesity than the Mediterranean diet or a low-fat plant-based diet. This is according to a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism
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Researchers found that the keto diet helped about half of the participants with prediabetes no longer meet the criteria for that condition. It also improved liver health and metabolic health more effectively than the other two diets
To understand the metabolic effects of the three diets, researchers conducted a clinical trial involving 42 people with obesity, prediabetes, and fatty liver disease. The researchers randomly assigned the participants to one of three groups:
the Mediterranean diet;
a low-fat plant-based diet
Each participant received all their food from the research team. They also met weekly with a dietitian who helped them stick to their prescribed meal plan
During the study:
The keto diet provided 4% of calories from carbohydrates and 73% from fat;
Mediterranean diet – 50% of calories from carbohydrates and 35% from fats;
A low-fat plant-based diet – 70% of calories from carbohydrates and 15% from fats
The research team individually calculated the caloric intake for each participant’s diet so that they would lose about 10% of their body weight over four to five months. By the end of the study, all three diets had led to a significant reduction in body fat. The participants also showed increased insulin sensitivity, which improved the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels
However, the ketogenic diet group showed the greatest improvement in various indicators of liver function and metabolism. For example, liver fat decreased by an average of 67%, compared with 45% in the other groups
In particular, levels of glucagon – a hormone that promotes fat loss in the liver – increased the most. The greatest decrease in blood insulin levels was also observed, which may help reduce the amount of fat in the liver
- Studies show that long-term adherence to a ketogenic diet in mice leads to metabolic damage. However, in some cases, it may improve health indicators, especially when combined with physical exercise.
- This diet can also reduce symptoms of depressionamong young people.
This is a machine translation of the original article in Ukrainian. It may contain errors.
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