Research

Hormonal

A ketogenic diet significantly reduces HbA1c levels in overweight T2DM patients, though it does not significantly affect fasting glucose, fasting insulin, or HOMA-IR compared to control diets.

While a ketogenic diet effectively lowers long-term average blood sugar (HbA1c) in T2DM patients, it may not immediately change fasting blood glucose or insulin resistance scores (HOMA-IR) compared to other diets. This suggests the benefit is in sustained glucose regulation rather than acute fasting metrics.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
With regard to HbA1c, we observed a slightly higher decrease between the ketogenic and non-ketogenic diet groups (SMD, −0.38; 95% CI, −0.61 to −0.16; I2 = 27%; low heterogeneity, Figure 4A)... However, we found no significant differences in the overall effect for fasting glucose (p = 0.74...), fasting insulin (p = 0.07...), and HOMA-IR (p = 0.14...)
Chong Zhou et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022

Why this rating

Meta-analysis of 7-8 RCTs; low heterogeneity for HbA1c.

Source

Ketogenic Diet Benefits to Weight Loss, Glycemic Control, and Lipid Profiles in Overweight Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trails

Chong Zhou et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022

DOI 10.3390/ijerph191610429

Meta-analysis · 8 studiesCited 131×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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