Energy balance
Both ketogenic-like (KLD) and ultra low-fat (ULF) diets produce similar weight loss and improvements in insulin resistance when adhered to, regardless of macronutrient composition.
You can lose significant weight and improve insulin resistance on either a very low-carb or a very low-fat diet, provided you stick to it. The specific macronutrient ratio matters less than your ability to maintain the diet and create a caloric deficit. Choose the pattern that allows you to minimize added sugars and refined grains while maximizing vegetables.
Both groups achieved similar weight loss and insulin resistance improvements at 3-months and maintained them at 12-months... At 12-months, LDL-C and weight loss were similar for KLD and ULF... Both KLD and ULF resulted in a similar ~30% reduction in insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) from baseline that persisted at 12-months with no significant between-group difference.
Why this rating
Secondary analysis of a small subset of participants; self-reported dietary data.
Source
Weight, insulin resistance, blood lipids, and diet quality changes associated with ketogenic and ultra low-fat dietary patterns: a secondary analysis of the DIETFITS randomized clinical trial
Lucia Aronica et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2023
DOI 10.3389/fnut.2023.1220020
More from this paper
- Adherence to a ketogenic-like diet (KLD) results in a transient increase in LDL cholesterol but a sustained improvement in the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio (log(TG/HDL)), indicating a shift toward a less atherogenic LDL profile compared to ultra low-fat diets (ULF).Moderate
- Adherence to an ultra low-fat diet (ULF) leads to a compensatory increase in refined grain intake, which may undermine the cardioprotective potential of fat restriction.Moderate
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