New research from Yale University claims that the initial metabolic and weight loss benefits of the ketogenic diet may turn into extremely harmful effects in the long-term.
The study was performed on mice and its conclusion is pretty harsh: mice provided with free access to a ketogenic diet developed obesity, their metabolic health was impaired and a specific type of immune T-cells were significantly depleted. In addition, those mice lacking the said T-cells presented lower levels of insulin and were unable to maintain the blood glucose within healthy limits.
On the brighter side, the new research presented evidence that the ketogenic diet is safe and offers metabolically beneficial effects in the short-term. As a matter of fact, another meta-review of intermittent fasting research concluded that periodic switching between different metabolic states may be most beneficial to humans.
So you can still follow a Keto diet, but you’d better not embrace a Keto lifestyle.
