The Effects of Ketogenic Diet on Insulin Sensitivity and Weight Loss, Which Came First: The Chicken or the Egg?

Abstract

The ketogenic diet (KD) is, nowadays, considered an interesting nutritional approach for weight loss and improvement in insulin resistance. Nevertheless, most of the studies available in the literature do not allow a clear distinction between its effects on insulin sensitivity per se, and the effects of weight loss induced by KDs on insulin sensitivity. In this review, we discuss the scientific evidence on the direct and weight loss mediated effects of KDs on glycemic status in humans, describing the KD’s biochemical background and the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords

• ketogenic diet
• insulin sensitivity
• insulin resistance
• weight loss
• body weight
• very low carbohydrate diet