COLUMBIA, MO — A recent review noted that ketogenic diets, which generally are very low in carbohydrate and very high in fat, have traditionally been employed to treat epileptic disorders, although they have been touted as a therapy for Type 2 diabetes and a range of other health conditions—neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, obesity, heart failure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
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The authors from Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Medical Center and the University of Missouri, both in Columbia, pointed out that the diets consist of 75-80% fat, 10-15% protein and 5% or less of carbohydrates.
“Despite gaining popularity, there are limited data to support the efficacy of a ketogenic diet in humans to treat metabolic disease, particularly NAFLD,” the authors wrote in Obesity.1
Researchers called for more studies on the diets, adding, “In summary, ketogenic diets are being recommended more frequently to treat metabolic diseases such as NAFLD, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. While they appear beneficial, their macronutrient impact and signaling effects on metabolism are not yet completely understood, and rodent and patient responses to these diets are variable.”
- Â Moore MP, Cunningham RP, Dashek RJ, Mucinski JM, Rector RS. A Fad too Far? Dietary Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of NAFLD. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(10):1843-1852. doi:10.1002/oby.22964