Research

Hormonal

A high-fat, ketogenic diet causes severe hepatic insulin resistance in mice, driven by increased hepatic diacylglycerol (DAG) content and subsequent PKCε activation, despite preventing weight gain and increasing energy expenditure.

This study in mice shows that a very high-fat, near-zero carbohydrate diet can cause liver insulin resistance and fatty liver disease, even if it helps prevent weight gain. While popular for weight loss, this suggests potential risks for liver health that should be monitored, especially in individuals predisposed to metabolic issues.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In conclusion, despite preventing weight gain in mice, KD induces hepatic insulin resistance secondary to increased hepatic diacylglycerol content.
François R. Jornayvaz et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2010

Why this rating

High-quality experimental design using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps and radiolabeled glucose in a controlled animal model, though results are specific to mice.

Source

A high-fat, ketogenic diet causes hepatic insulin resistance in mice, despite increasing energy expenditure and preventing weight gain

François R. Jornayvaz et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2010

DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.00361.2010

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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