Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet primarily used to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet mimics aspects of starvation by forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.

What is the Ketogenic Diet?

The ketogenic diet is a special diet designed to help children with epilepsy that fails to respond adequately to routine anti-epileptic medications. A typical ketogenic diet is made up of the following...

Ketogenic Diet and Epilepsy

History of the Ketogenic Diet

Ketogenic Diet Efficacy

Ketogenic Diet Indications and Contra-Indications

Ketogenic Diet Mechanism

Ketogenic Diet Side Effects

Ketogenic Diet Types

Ketosis and the Keto Diet

Best and Worst Foods to Eat on the Ketogenic Diet

Ketogenic Diet and Aging

Does the Keto Diet Increase the Risk of Diabetes?

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Is the Ketogenic Diet Good or Bad for Migraines?

Latest Ketogenic Diet News and Research

Newly developed gene therapy can treat a severe form of epilepsy and prolong survival

Research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests how a newly developed gene therapy can treat Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy, and potentially prolong survival for people with the condition.

20 Jan 2022

Study offers clues to why calorie-restricted diet may slow tumor growth

In recent years, there has been some evidence that dietary interventions can help to slow the growth of tumors.

20 Oct 2021

Scientists could elucidate how and why gut microbes contribute to cognitive impairment

Recent research has found that changes in the gut microbiota -; the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in the intestines -; can alter the brain and behavior. Now, a study led by scientists at UCLA could elucidate how and why that phenomenon occurs.

17 Aug 2021

CBD may reduce the adverse effects of anti-seizure drugs in people with epilepsy

Artisanal (non-pharmaceutical) cannabidiol (CBD) products have become popular in recent years for their apparent therapeutic effects. CBD — a naturally occurring compound of the cannabis plant legally derived from hemp — is used widely as a naturopathic remedy for a number of health conditions, including epilepsy and seizure disorders.

11 Aug 2021

Surplus sugar may cause our cellular powerplants to become less efficient, finds study

The average American eats roughly 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day -; more than three times the recommended amount for women and more than double the recommended amount for men.

3 Aug 2021

Analysis: Keto diets place pregnant women and kidney disease patients at risk of adverse health effects

In the most comprehensive analysis yet of ketogenic (keto) diets, a review in Frontiers in Nutrition finds keto diets place pregnant women and kidney disease patients at risk of adverse health effects.

3 Aug 2021

Ketogenic metabolic therapy could work synergistically with IDH1-mutant glioblastoma

A British man who rejected the standard of care to treat his brain cancer has lived with the typically fatal glioblastoma tumor growing very slowly after adopting a ketogenic diet, providing a case study that researchers say reflects the benefits of using the body's own metabolism to fight this particularly aggressive cancer instead of chemo and radiation therapy.

11 Jun 2021

Low-calorie ketogenic diet can increase testosterone levels in overweight men

New research reveals that a low-calorie ketogenic diet can help testosterone levels in overweight men, reducing overall levels of obesity.

24 May 2021

Effects of low-fat, plant-based diet compared to low-carb, animal-based diet

People on a low-fat, plant-based diet ate fewer daily calories but had higher insulin and blood glucose levels, compared to when they ate a low-carbohydrate, animal-based diet, according to a small but highly controlled study at the National Institutes of Health.

19 Jan 2021

Could the keto diet help prevent or mitigate severe COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal of Translational Medicine reports that the ketogenic diet (KD) may be useful in this area, with its track history of effectual reduction of fat mass, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and consequent improvement of cardiovascular health.

30 Nov 2020

Study: Ketogenic diets can prevent or reverse heart failure caused by metabolic process

Research from Saint Louis University finds that high fat or "ketogenic" diets could completely prevent, or even reverse heart failure caused by a metabolic process.

27 Oct 2020

Maternal gut microbiota can promote healthy fetal brain development

During pregnancy in mice, the billions of bacteria and other microbes that live in a mother's intestines regulate key metabolites, small molecules that are important for healthy fetal brain development, UCLA biologists report Sept. 23 in the journal Nature.

24 Sep 2020

Keto diet could be beneficial for elderly COVID-19 patients

A recent study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, New York University Langone Health and Washington University School of Medicine, claims that the ketogenic diet (high fat, low carbohydrate diet) is capable of mitigating clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in elderly people by improving immune-metabolic functions and reducing inflammation. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

14 Sep 2020

Mediterranean ketogenic diet can help alter fungi in the gut linked to Alzheimer's risk

Specific fungi in the gut associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and found in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be altered in a beneficial manner by eating a modified Mediterranean diet, researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine have found.

31 Aug 2020

Buck researchers investigate ketone bodies as possible therapeutic against COVID-19

Given the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has on older adults in terms of death and lasting disability, and the impact of common aging-related comorbidities like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, Buck Institute professor and practicing geriatrician John Newman, MD, PhD, can make a compelling argument that those infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus are suffering from an aging-related disease, no matter how old they are when they get infected.

15 Jul 2020

New vitamin K-based drug eliminates medication-resistant epileptic seizures in mice

In the cover article of the June 11 issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, a team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, led by Sherine Chan, Ph.D., and James Chou, Ph.D., reports that a new vitamin K-based drug has proved effective in mouse models of medication-resistant seizures.

6 Jul 2020

A special diet can help in certain cases of asthma, study suggests

Can a special diet help in certain cases of asthma? A new study at the University of Bonn at least points to this conclusion. According to the study, mice that were switched to a so-called ketogenic diet showed significantly reduced inflammation of the respiratory tract.

7 Apr 2020

Reports of flu-like symptoms seen with Keto diet

A new study has shown that those starting on a keto diet could develop certain flu-like symptoms in the initial weeks. The study titled, “Consumer Reports of “Keto Flu” Associated With the Ketogenic Diet,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

15 Mar 2020

As VA tests keto diet to help diabetic patients, skeptics raise red flags

A partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Silicon Valley startup Virta Health Corp. is focusing attention on the company's claim that it provides treatment "clinically-proven to safely and sustainably reverse type 2 diabetes" without medication or surgery.

3 Feb 2020

OMA’s 2020 Obesity Algorithm updated with new information for clinicians

The Obesity Medicine Association today announced the immediate availability of the 2020 OMA Obesity Algorithm, with new information for clinicians including obesity myths, polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity and psychiatric disease, ketogenic diet, as well as many other updates.

31 Jan 2020