Research

Hormonal

Adherence to Very-Low-Energy Diets (VLEDs) and Ketogenic Low-Carbohydrate Diets (KLCDs) significantly suppresses subjective hunger and increases fullness/satiety compared to energy balance, effectively preventing the compensatory increase in appetite typically associated with weight loss.

If you are overweight or obese, switching to a Very-Low-Energy Diet (under 800 kcal/day) or a strict Ketogenic Diet (under 50g carbs/day) for 4-12 weeks may help you feel less hungry and more full, contrary to the fear that dieting always makes you hungrier. This appetite suppression is likely driven by ketosis (ketone levels around 0.5 mM).

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Individuals were less hungry and exhibited greater fullness/satiety while adhering to VLED, and individuals adhering to KLCD were less hungry and had a reduced desire to eat.
Alice A. Gibson et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2014

Why this rating

Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies, though heterogeneity was low and ketone measurement was sparse in some arms.

Source

Do ketogenic diets really suppress appetite? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Alice A. Gibson et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2014

DOI 10.1111/obr.12230

Meta-analysis · 12 studiesCited 362×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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