Keto Diet Shows Superior Metabolic Gains in Small Clinical Trial

A randomized trial compared a very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, a Mediterranean diet, and a very-low-fat plant-forward diet in adults with obesity, prediabetes and fatty liver disease. All participants received meals from the research team and met weekly with a dietitian, losing roughly 10 % of body weight over a four-to-five-month period. Published in *Cell Metabolism*, the study found that, when weight loss was equal, dietary composition still influenced liver and metabolic health.

The weight-loss method proven to be more beneficial than Mediterranean and low-fat diets HealthLineNewsweekScienceAlertMedical News TodayScientific American

• Enrollment: 55 adults; 42 completed the intervention.

The ketogenic diet may be more beneficial in the short term than other diets for people with obesity, according to a small clinical trial

• Randomization: Assigned to one of the three diet groups.

HealthLine

• Duration: About five months, ending with the ~10 % weight-loss target.

ScienceAlert

• Publication date: Results released on August 27 in *Cell Metabolism*.

ScienceAlert

• Liver fat: 67 % reduction in the ketogenic group versus 45 % in the other groups.

The weight-loss method proven to be more beneficial than Mediterranean and low-fat diets

• Prediabetes remission: ~50 % of keto participants no longer met prediabetes criteria, compared with 29 % (Mediterranean) and 7 % (plant-forward).

HealthLine

• Insulin and glucagon: Keto participants showed the greatest decrease in insulin and the largest increase in glucagon, a hormone that promotes hepatic fat breakdown.

Medical News Today

• Blood lipids: No significant differences among groups in LDL cholesterol or apolipoprotein B.

Newsweek

Researchers noted that the ketogenic diet did not worsen cholesterol profiles despite its higher saturated-fat content.

ScienceAlert

• Participant numbers: Newsweek reported 55 enrolled with 42 completing, while Healthline focused on the 42 finishers.

HealthLine

• Duration and follow-up: The five-month study leaves uncertainty about the durability of improvements.

The ketogenic diet may be more beneficial in the short term than other diets for people with obesity, according to a small clinical trial

• Generalizability: All participants had concurrent obesity, prediabetes and fatty liver disease, limiting applicability to those with fewer risk factors.

HealthLine

• “We were very interested to see that several aspects of liver health improved most on the ketogenic diet,” — Max Petersen, lead author

ScienceAlert

• “It is nice to see these researchers finally coming around on ketogenic diets, as the evidence has been strong for a long time,” — Jeff Volek

Scientific American

Investigators recommend larger, longer-term studies to determine whether the short-term metabolic advantages of a ketogenic diet translate into sustained health benefits.

The ketogenic diet may be more beneficial in the short term than other diets for people with obesity, according to a small clinical trial