Keto Diet Tops Other Weight-loss Plans in Health Study
A clinical trial published in Cell Metabolism suggests that a ketogenic diet may offer superior metabolic benefits for individuals with obesity and prediabetes compared to Mediterranean or low-fat diets. Participants on the keto plan showed significant improvements in liver fat and metabolic health.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence-based guidance for managing obesity and prediabetes, potentially influencing clinical dietary recommendations for millions of people.
A diet that severely limits carbohydrates but is high in fat has the greatest health benefits for people with obesity compared to a Mediterranean diet or a low-fat diet, according to a clinical trial publishing August 27 in the Cell Press journal Cell Metabolism. After following a ketogenic (or "Keto") diet for four to five months, about 50% of a group of participants with obesity and prediabetes no longer met the criteria for prediabetes.
"We know weight loss can improve metabolic health in people who are obese," says Samuel Klein, the study's corresponding author at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. "Our data suggest that if you have high liver fat content and prediabetes, reducing carbohydrate intake can have important therapeutic effects on metabolism beyond just weight loss alone."
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