Journal Retracts Controversial Study Claiming Keto Diets Don’t Clog Arteries
Gizmodo • • health
Key Points:
- A controversial study claiming no link between arterial plaque buildup and elevated cholesterol in ketogenic diet followers was retracted after widespread criticism and scrutiny.
- The study, published in April 2025 by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Advances, faced backlash for questionable data and statistical methods, with critics highlighting small control groups and selective reporting.
- Coauthor Dave Feldman, an entrepreneur without biomedical training, was criticized for shaping data to fit a narrative, while coauthor Nicholas Norwitz, a trained doctor, later requested the retraction after identifying anomalies.
- Medical experts described the situation as a "collective mess," emphasizing the influence of social media in amplifying flawed scientific claims about the ketogenic diet.
- The retraction underscores ongoing debates about the diet’s health impacts and the importance of rigorous, unbiased research in nutrition science.