Research
Macro partitioning
Ketogenic diets increase the risk of cardiovascular disease markers, specifically LDL-C elevation, which persists even with weight loss, and are associated with increased risks of kidney stones and chronic kidney disease.
Monitor your LDL cholesterol closely if you follow a ketogenic diet, especially if it is high in animal fats. The risk of kidney stones and chronic kidney disease also increases with high animal protein intake.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
LDL-C can rise, sometimes dramatically... Negative effects on blood lipids have also been seen in healthy individuals... LDL-C increased by 35% in the ketogenic group.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple observational studies and RCTs cited in the review.
Source
Ketogenic Diets and Chronic Disease: Weighing the Benefits Against the Risks
Lee Crosby et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2021
DOI 10.3389/fnut.2021.702802
narrative_reviewCited 215×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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