Research

Hormonal

Achieving a state of nutritional ketosis (β-hydroxybutyrate ≥ 0.3 mmol/L) during a low-carbohydrate diet is associated with greater reductions in visceral adipose tissue, total body fat, and inflammation (CRP), but also with greater loss of lean muscle mass.

If you are doing a low-carb diet, aiming for ketosis (measured by blood ketones ≥ 0.3 mmol/L) may lead to greater fat and visceral fat loss and lower inflammation. However, be aware that this state is also associated with greater lean muscle loss, so maintaining your exercise routine, especially resistance training, is crucial.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Achieving a ketogenic state (β-hydroxybutyrate, βHB ≥0.3 mmol/L) was associated with greater reductions in total body fat (p = 0.011), visceral adipose tissue (p = 0.025), FMI (p = 0.002) and C-reactive protein (CRP, p = 0.041) but also with greater reductions in LMM (p = 0.042).
Maria Perissiou et al. · Nutrients · 2020

Why this rating

Observational analysis within an RCT; correlation does not prove causation, though the association is statistically significant.

Source

The Effect of an 8 Week Prescribed Exercise and Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Obese Individuals: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Maria Perissiou et al. · Nutrients · 2020

DOI 10.3390/nu12020482

rct · n=64Cited 80×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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