Keto May Offer More Benefits Than Mediterranean Diet

Key Points:

• A clinical trial with 42 participants having obesity, prediabetes, and fatty liver disease compared the metabolic effects of three diets: ketogenic, Mediterranean, and plant-forward, with all participants receiving tailored calorie intakes to achieve about 10% body weight loss over 4-5 months.
• All three diets significantly reduced body fat and improved insulin sensitivity, but the ketogenic diet showed the greatest improvements in liver and metabolic function, including a 67% reduction in liver fat and the largest decrease in blood insulin levels.
• The ketogenic diet group also exhibited increased glucagon levels, promoting liver fat loss, and about half no longer met prediabetes criteria by the study's end, compared to 29% in the Mediterranean group and 7% in the plant-forward group.
• Experts noted the study's small size and limited generalizability, emphasizing that weight loss itself remains the primary driver of metabolic health, and highlighted that the ketogenic diet, while effective, may be difficult to sustain long-term.
• The Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and minimally processed foods, has a well-established record for preventing diabetes and heart disease and may be more sustainable, while the plant-forward diet emphasizes plant foods without fully excluding animal products.