The Study
The impact of a ketogenic diet on weight loss, metabolism, body composition and quality of life
This study watched what happened when people ate a low-carb diet for a few weeks or months, and noticed they lost weight and felt better. But since people chose for themselves whether to eat that diet, we can't be sure the diet was the reason they felt better — maybe they just started walking more or sleeping better.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
People who ate mostly fat and very few carbs for three months lost belly fat, kept their muscles, felt more energetic, and felt less tired and happier.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 553 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—losing belly fat and feeling more energetic and less tired can make daily life much easier, especially for people who are overweight and often feel drained.
- 2Lost 14.3% body fat, 14.7% belly fat, gained 35.6% more energy, improved mental health by 21.3%, reduced fatigue by 17.9%, raised good cholesterol (HDL) by 5.7%, and lowered blood sugar by 6.3%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
iScience
Year
2024
Authors
S. Hirschberger, David Effinger, Polina Yoncheva, Annika Schmid, Mara-Noel Weis, L. Holdt, Daniel Teupser, Simone Kreth
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who feel better emotionally while on a ketogenic diet for weight loss experience this improvement regardless of whether they have clinical depression.
Adults with overweight who follow a ketogenic diet for three months show a 35.6% increase in vitality and a 21.3% improvement in mental health scores on the SF-36 questionnaire.
In adults with overweight, following a ketogenic diet for three months results in a 5.7% increase in HDL cholesterol and no significant change in LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, or the apolipoprotein B/A1 ratio.
In adults with overweight, following a three-month eucaloric ketogenic diet results in a 14.3% decrease in fat mass and a 14.7% decrease in visceral fat, with no loss of muscle or bone mass.
Adults with overweight who follow a ketogenic diet for three months experience a 17.9% decrease in fatigue symptoms, with the largest reductions seen in those who started with higher fatigue levels.
In adults with overweight, following a ketogenic diet for three months is associated with a 6.3% decrease in HbA1c and a 6.5% decrease in fasting blood glucose levels.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.