About this Resource
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating pattern designed to shift the body’s metabolism away from glucose and toward fat as its primary source of energy. The diet, often referred to as the ‘keto diet’, typically restricts carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams per day (or < 10% of energy intake), with around 70% of calories coming from fat.
Grounded in the Research
“Ketogenic diets have started to increase in popularity as doctors and researchers investigate the potential benefits. Nutritional ketosis, the aspirational endpoint of ketogenic diets, is achieved by restricting carbohydrate intake, moderating protein consumption, and increasing the number of calories obtained from fat. Theoretically, this restriction of carbohydrates causes the body to switch from glucose metabolism as a primary means of energy production. This results in the use of ketone bodies from fat metabolism, a metabolic state where the body prefers to utilize fat as its primary fuel source.”
Excerpt from: Dowis, K., & Banga, S. (2021). The potential health benefits of the ketogenic diet: a narrative review. Nutrients, 13(5), 1654.
References
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[2] Harvey, K. L., Holcomb, L. E., & Kolwicz Jr, S. C. (2019). Ketogenic diets and exercise performance. Nutrients, 11(10), 2296. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102296
[3] Dowis, K., & Banga, S. (2021). The potential health benefits of the ketogenic diet: a narrative review. Nutrients, 13(5), 1654. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051654
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[5] Patikorn, C., Saidoung, P., Pham, T., Phisalprapa, P., Lee, Y. Y., Varady, K. A., … & Chaiyakunapruk, N. (2023). Effects of ketogenic diet on health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials. BMC medicine, 21(1), 196. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-02874-y
[6] Wang, Z., Chen, T., Wu, S., Dong, X., Zhang, M., & Ma, G. (2024). Impact of the ketogenic diet as a dietary approach on cardiovascular disease risk factors: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 120(2), 294-309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.04.021
[7] Joo, M., Moon, S., Lee, Y. S., & Kim, M. G. (2023). Effects of very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets on lipid profiles in normal-weight (body mass index< 25 kg/m2) adults: a meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews, 81(11), 1393-1401. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad017
[8] Chen, S., Su, X., Feng, Y., Li, R., Liao, M., Fan, L., … & Zeng, F. (2023). Ketogenic diet and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analysis. Nutrients, 15(19), 4161. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15194161