Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Ketogenic diets positively affect the gut microbiome by increasing the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes and increasing beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing species.
You can support your gut health on a KD by eating low-carb vegetables, nuts, and berries. This can increase beneficial bacteria like Bacteroidetes.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The KD diet could potentially increase genetic diversity of the microbiome and increase the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes... a study found that the disrupted gut microbiota of epileptic infants was improved with a one-week ketogenic diet, which managed to increase their Bacteroides amount by ~24%... The data indicated all groups had a decrease in relative abundance of Firmicutes and an increase in Bacteroidetes after 45 days.
Why this rating
The paper notes heterogeneity in data and lack of long-term studies, though short-term benefits are observed.
Source
The Potential Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet: A Narrative Review
Kathryn Dowis et al. · Nutrients · 2021
narrative_reviewCited 236×
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