Ketogenic diet in the management of disease

Abstract

Purpose of review: The ketogenic diet has gained renewed attention as a nutritional intervention across a range of chronic diseases. This review evaluates the recent clinical evidence supporting ketogenic diet applications beyond epilepsy, with a focus on cardiometabolic, neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and oncological conditions.

Recent findings: Ketogenic diet improves insulin sensitivity and glycemic control in obesity and type 2 diabetes, effect that are partly attributable to weight loss, but also include reduced postprandial glucose excursions, lower insulin levels, and altered substrate metabolism. In neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, ketogenic diet may increase substrate availability, cerebral perfusion and cognition function. Preliminary data from uncontrolled studies suggests potential benefits in severe mental illness. In oncology, ketogenic diet may influence tumor metabolism via glucose restriction, but clinical efficacy as an adjunct therapy remains unproven. Across studies, conclusions are limited by short intervention durations, inconsistent protocols, low dietary adherence, and high interindividual variability in metabolic response.

Summary: Although emerging data suggest therapeutic potential of ketogenic diet across several conditions, routine clinical implementation is premature. Future trials should employ standardized dietary protocols and assess long-term, clinically relevant outcomes to establish safety and efficacy.

Keywords: cancer; cardiometabolic disease; ketogenic diet; neurodegenerative disease; psychiatric disease.