Long-term Effects of a Ketogenic Diet in Obese Patients

Overview

Journal Exp Clin Cardiol

Specialty Cardiology & Vascular Diseases

Date 2009 Jul 31

PMID 19641727

Citations 52

Authors

Hussein M Dashti

Thazhumpal C Mathew

Talib Hussein

Sami K Asfar

Abdulla Behbahani

Mousa A Khoursheed

Hilal M Al-Sayer

Yousef Y Bo-Abbas

Naji S Al-Zaid

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Although various studies have examined the short-term effects of a ketogenic diet in reducing weight in obese patients, its long-term effects on various physical and biochemical parameters are not known.

Objective: To determine the effects of a 24-week ketogenic diet (consisting of 30 g carbohydrate, 1 g/kg body weight protein, 20% saturated fat, and 80% polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat) in obese patients.

Patients And Methods: In the present study, 83 obese patients (39 men and 44 women) with a body mass index greater than 35 kg/m(2), and high glucose and cholesterol levels were selected. The body weight, body mass index, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, urea and creatinine levels were determined before and after the administration of the ketogenic diet. Changes in these parameters were monitored after eight, 16 and 24 weeks of treatment.

Results: The weight and body mass index of the patients decreased significantly (P<0.0001). The level of total cholesterol decreased from week 1 to week 24. HDL cholesterol levels significantly increased, whereas LDL cholesterol levels significantly decreased after treatment. The level of triglycerides decreased significantly following 24 weeks of treatment. The level of blood glucose significantly decreased. The changes in the level of urea and creatinine were not statistically significant.

Conclusions: The present study shows the beneficial effects of a long-term ketogenic diet. It significantly reduced the body weight and body mass index of the patients. Furthermore, it decreased the level of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and blood glucose, and increased the level of HDL cholesterol. Administering a ketogenic diet for a relatively longer period of time did not produce any significant side effects in the patients. Therefore, the present study confirms that it is safe to use a ketogenic diet for a longer period of time than previously demonstrated.

Citing Articles

Impact of a very low-calorie ketogenic diet on metabolic and microbiota outcomes in post-bariatric patients and bariatric-Naïve individuals: A comparative pilot study.

Ernesti I, Massari M, Cipriani F, Masi D, Glaser K, Genco M Diabetes Obes Metab. 2025; 27(4):1950-1959.

PMID: 39791264 PMC: 11885101. DOI: 10.1111/dom.16187.

Consuming a modified Mediterranean ketogenic diet reverses the peripheral lipid signature of Alzheimer's disease in humans.

Neth B, Huynh K, Giles C, Wang T, Mellett N, Duong T Commun Med (Lond). 2025; 5(1):11.

PMID: 39779882 PMC: 11711287. DOI: 10.1038/s43856-024-00682-w.

Exploring diet-induced ketosis with exogenous ketone supplementation as a potential intervention in post-traumatic stress disorder: a feasibility study.

Edwards M, Furuholmen-Jenssen T, Soegaard E, Thapa S, Andersen J Front Nutr. 2024; 11:1406366.

PMID: 39588043 PMC: 11586679. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1406366.

Effect of weight-maintaining ketogenic diet on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in obese T2D subjects.

Merovci A, Finley B, Hansis-Diarte A, Neppala S, Abdul-Ghani M, Cersosimo E BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2024; 12(5).

PMID: 39424350 PMC: 11492932. DOI: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2024-004199.

What could be the reasons for not losing weight even after following a weight loss program?.

Dabas J, Shunmukha Priya S, Alawani A, Budhrani P J Health Popul Nutr. 2024; 43(1):37.

PMID: 38429842 PMC: 10908186. DOI: 10.1186/s41043-024-00516-4.

References

Patsch J, Miesenbock G, Hopferwieser T, Muhlberger V, Knapp E, Dunn J . Relation of triglyceride metabolism and coronary artery disease. Studies in the postprandial state. Arterioscler Thromb. 1992; 12(11):1336-45. DOI: 10.1161/01.atv.12.11.1336. View

Dashti H, Bo-Abbas Y, Asfar S, Mathew T, Hussein T, Behbahani A . Ketogenic diet modifies the risk factors of heart disease in obese patients. Nutrition. 2003; 19(10):901-2. DOI: 10.1016/s0899-9007(03)00161-8. View

McGinnis J, FOEGE W . Actual causes of death in the United States. JAMA. 1993; 270(18):2207-12. View

Bray G . Medical consequences of obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004; 89(6):2583-9. DOI: 10.1210/jc.2004-0535. View

Wolf R, Cauley J, Baker C, Ferrell R, Charron M, Caggiula A . Factors associated with calcium absorption efficiency in pre- and perimenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 72(2):466-71. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/72.2.466. View

Abbasi F, McLaughlin T, Lamendola C, Kim H, Tanaka A, Wang T . High carbohydrate diets, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and coronary heart disease risk. Am J Cardiol. 2000; 85(1):45-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9149(99)00604-9. View

Foster G, Wyatt H, Hill J, McGuckin B, Brill C, Mohammed B . A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003; 348(21):2082-90. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa022207. View

Amiel S . Organ fuel selection: brain. Proc Nutr Soc. 1995; 54(1):151-5. DOI: 10.1079/pns19950044. View

Franceschi S, Favero A, Decarli A, Negri E, La Vecchia C, Ferraroni M . Intake of macronutrients and risk of breast cancer. Lancet. 1996; 347(9012):1351-6. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(96)91008-9. View

10.

Liu S, Manson J, Stampfer M, Holmes M, Hu F, Hankinson S . Dietary glycemic load assessed by food-frequency questionnaire in relation to plasma high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting plasma triacylglycerols in postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001; 73(3):560-6. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/73.3.560. View

11.

Cullingford T, Eagles D, Sato H . The ketogenic diet upregulates expression of the gene encoding the key ketogenic enzyme mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase in rat brain. Epilepsy Res. 2002; 49(2):99-107. DOI: 10.1016/s0920-1211(02)00011-6. View

12.

Yehuda S, Rabinovitz S, Mostofsky D . Essential fatty acids are mediators of brain biochemistry and cognitive functions. J Neurosci Res. 1999; 56(6):565-70. DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4547(19990615)56:6<565::AID-JNR2>3.0.CO;2-H. View

13.

Defronzo R, Deibert D, Hendler R, FELIG P, Soman V . Insulin sensitivity and insulin binding to monocytes in maturity-onset diabetes. J Clin Invest. 1979; 63(5):939-46. PMC: 372035. DOI: 10.1172/JCI109394. View

14.

Coulston A, Liu G, Reaven G . Plasma glucose, insulin and lipid responses to high-carbohydrate low-fat diets in normal humans. Metabolism. 1983; 32(1):52-6. DOI: 10.1016/0026-0495(83)90155-5. View

15.

Samaha F, Iqbal N, Seshadri P, Chicano K, Daily D, McGrory J . A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003; 348(21):2074-81. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa022637. View

16.

Grundy S, Barnett J . Metabolic and health complications of obesity. Dis Mon. 1990; 36(12):641-731. View

17.

Mohanty P, Hamouda W, Garg R, Aljada A, Ghanim H, Dandona P . Glucose challenge stimulates reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by leucocytes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000; 85(8):2970-3. DOI: 10.1210/jcem.85.8.6854. View

18.

Fearon K . Nutritional pharmacology in the treatment of neoplastic disease. Baillieres Clin Gastroenterol. 1988; 2(4):941-9. DOI: 10.1016/0950-3528(88)90043-7. View

19.

Sondike S, Copperman N, Jacobson M . Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor in overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 2003; 142(3):253-8. DOI: 10.1067/mpd.2003.4. View

20.

SIMS E, DANFORTH Jr E, Horton E, Bray G, Glennon J, Salans L . Endocrine and metabolic effects of experimental obesity in man. Recent Prog Horm Res. 1973; 29:457-96. DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-571129-6.50016-6. View