ketogenic diet

Introduction

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has gained popularity for its potential benefits in treating various health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. This diet induces a state of ketosis, where the body primarily uses ketone bodies for energy instead of glucose.

Key Insights

Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
- The KD can improve glycemic control and sustain weight loss, making it a potential intervention for obesity and type 2 diabetes .
- However, the enthusiasm for KD's benefits in treating these conditions exceeds the current evidence, and its long-term sustainability and health impacts remain uncertain.
Cardiovascular Health
- KD may have beneficial cardiovascular effects by improving cardiac energetics and reducing oxygen use, but it can also lead to adverse effects like hyperlipidemia, elevated triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol levels .
- The potential cardiovascular benefits of KD are counterbalanced by the risks of poor diet adherence and unknown long-term effects.
Neurodegenerative Disorders
- KD has shown promise in treating neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease by enhancing mitochondrial function, reducing inflammation, and providing neuroprotective effects.
- The presence of ketone bodies may improve memory performance and healthspan in aging populations, as observed in animal studies.
Exercise Performance
- KD can serve as an alternative energy source during exercise, potentially promoting exercise performance. However, it may also lead to side effects like fatigue and gastrointestinal distress.
- Short-term studies indicate a mildly negative impact on physical performance, such as reduced endurance capacity and peak power, although it does not significantly impair daily activities or aerobic training.
Epilepsy and Seizure Control
- KD is effective in treating drug-resistant seizures, particularly in children, and has been used for this purpose for decades .
- The diet's anticonvulsant effects are attributed to various mechanisms, including changes in pH, metabolism, amino acid levels, and ketone body production.

Conclusion

The ketogenic diet offers potential benefits for various health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and epilepsy. While it can improve glycemic control, sustain weight loss, and provide neuroprotective effects, the diet also carries risks such as hyperlipidemia and potential long-term health impacts. The evidence supporting KD's benefits is promising but not yet conclusive, and further research is needed to fully understand its long-term effects and sustainability.

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Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Ketogenic Diets and Exercise Performance

Ketogenic diets and ketone body supplements show promise in treating obesity, diabetes, and cardiac dysfunction, but may have unexpected side effects.

Ketogenic diets: from cancer to mitochondrial diseases and beyond

Ketogenic diets show potential in treating various diseases by altering cells' energy source, favoring mitochondrial respiration over glycolysis.

The Ketogenic Diet for Obesity and Diabetes-Enthusiasm Outpaces Evidence.

The ketogenic diet has potential benefits for obesity and type 2 diabetes, but current evidence is inconclusive and may not be sustainable.

Ketogenic Diet in Alzheimer’s Disease

The ketogenic diet may have neuroprotective effects and enhance mitochondrial function, potentially offering a potential therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease.

Ketogenic Diet and Cardiac Substrate Metabolism

The ketogenic diet has potential benefits for treating and preventing cardiovascular disease, but may have adverse effects like hyperlipidemia and poor diet adherence.

Metabolic and endocrine aspects of the ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet can benefit certain patients and help maintain body weight, but its interaction with antiepileptic drugs is limited.

Impact of a 6-week non-energy-restricted ketogenic diet on physical fitness, body composition and biochemical parameters in healthy adults

A 6-week non-energy-restricted ketogenic diet has a mildly negative impact on physical performance, but does not significantly impair daily living or aerobic training.

Ketogenic Diet Reduces Midlife Mortality and Improves Memory in Aging Mice.

A non-obesogenic ketogenic diet reduces midlife mortality and improves memory performance in aging mice, while slightly improving overall healthspan.

The Ketogenic Diet: One Decade Later

The ketogenic diet has shown promise in treating difficult-to-control seizures in children, with potential future uses for conditions other than epilepsy.

The ketogenic diet: Proposed mechanisms of action

The ketogenic diet may treat drug-resistant seizures through four hypotheses: pH, metabolic, amino acid, and ketone hypotheses.

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