Keto diet beneficial to patients with type 2 diabetes

Ketogenic diet (KD) not only confers benefits for glucose and lipid control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) but also facilitates weight loss, as reported in a study.

The study was based on a meta-analysis of 13 studies investigating the potential benefits of KD in T2DM management, including changes in glucose and lipid metabolism and weight. There were 567 participants in total.

Data pooled using the random effects or fixed effects method revealed that KD facilitated reductions in fasting blood glucose level of 1.29 mmol/l (95 percent confidence interval [CI], −1.78 to −0.79) and in glycated haemoglobin A1c of 1.07 (95 percent CI, −1.37 to −0.78).

With regard to lipid metabolism, the dietary intervention also lowered triglyceride by 0.72 mmol/L (95 percent CI, −1.01 to −0.43), total cholesterol by 0.33 mmol/L (95 percent CI, −0.66 to −0.01), and low-density lipoprotein by 0.05 mmol/L (95 percent CI, −0.25 to −0.15). Meanwhile, high-density lipoprotein increased by 0.14 mmol/L (95 percent CI, 0.03−0.25).

Finally, weight decreased by 8.66 kg (95 percent CI, −11.40 to −5.92), waist circumference by 9.17 cm (95 percent CI, −10.67 to −7.66), and body mass index by 3.13 kg/m² (95 percent CI, −3.31 to −2.95).

The health benefit of KD in T2DM patients may be explained by the extreme restriction of carbohydrate, which in turn reduces the intestinal absorption of monosaccharide. This leads to lower blood glucose levels and reduces the fluctuation of blood glucose.