The Surprising Health Risks of a Trending Diet Despite Its Success in Shedding Pounds

While the ketogenic diet, often referred to as the keto diet, has continued to gain popularity since its introduction as a treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s, recent research suggests that this regimen may not suit everyone. Although it has garnered the support of athletes and celebrities due to its quick weight loss results through carbohydrate restriction, health officials warn about potential negative effects on your metabolic and microbiome health.

The ketogenic diet encourages the consumption of high amounts of fats, moderate amounts of protein, and as few carbohydrates as possible. As outlined by the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) blog, Food Insight, a typical keto diet aims to derive about five percent of calories from carbohydrates, 20 percent from protein, and 75 percent from dietary fats. This includes foods like avocado, yogurt, butter, cheese, nuts, oils, seeds, and protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken, red meat, and salmon. However, it excludes sugary or high-carb foods like potatoes, bread, and sweets.

The idea is to put your body in a state of nutritional ketosis, a metabolic process where the body produces ketones in the liver, which can be used as the primary energy source. In a normal state, our body uses glucose (derived from carbohydrates) as the main energy source. The ketogenic diet works for some people, but for others, it can significantly impact health.

Recent research published in Cell Reports Medicine suggests that ketogenic dieters may face higher cholesterol levels and a reduction in beneficial gut bacteria. As University of Bath professor and study co-author Dylan Thompson noted, “The ketogenic diet is effective for fat loss, but it comes with varied metabolic and microbiome effects that may not suit everyone.”

In this study, 53 healthy participants were assigned a moderate sugar diet, a low sugar diet, or a ketogenic diet. After a 12-week period, those on the ketogenic diet showed significant declines in their health compared to their initial state. The most alarming finding was an increase in cholesterol levels. Lead researcher Aaron Hengist, PhD, explained, “Despite reducing fat mass, the ketogenic diet increased the levels of unfavorable fats in the blood of our participants, which, if sustained over years, could have long-term health implications such as increased risk of heart disease and stroke.”

The participants’ gut health was also affected. Researchers found a decrease in Bifidobacteria, which assists in producing vitamin B, lowering cholesterol, and blocking harmful bacteria from entering the gut. Microbiome researcher Russel Davies, PhD, pointed out that a reduction in dietary fiber, a key component for the survival of beneficial gut bacteria, could potentially increase the long-term risk of digestive disorders, intestinal infections, and weaken immune function.

Alongside these changes, the ketogenic diet also reduced glucose tolerance and caused alterations in lipid metabolism and muscle energy use. If these shifts continue when people return to a higher carbohydrate diet, it could increase the long-term risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to Professor Javier Gonzalez.

Despite losing the most weight amongst the three groups, researchers still recommend choosing a reduced sugar diet. It provides similar weight loss results but without the noted negative health impacts.

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