Popular diet slashes liver fat by 67% while reversing prediabetes in some people
The keto diet may have surprising benefits for liver health, a new study suggested.
The research, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, studied 42 adults who had obesity , prediabetes and excess liver fat.
In a randomized clinical trial, the participants were assigned to three weight-loss diets – a low-carb ketogenic diet, a Mediterranean diet and a low-fat, mostly plant-based diet.
SECRET TO WEIGHT LOSS MAY BE HIDING IN YOUR GUT, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS The keto diet’s calories consisted of about 4% carbohydrates and 73% fat, according to the study.
The Mediterranean diet provided about 50% of calories from carbohydrates and 35% from fat, while the low-fat diet provided about 70% of calories from carbohydrates and 15% from fat.
In all three groups, muscle insulin sensitivity improved by about 50%, helping the muscles take up blood sugar more efficiently.
Liver insulin sensitivity improved two to three times as much in the keto group as in the other diet groups.
Liver fat decreased by roughly 67% among people following the keto diet, compared with about 45% among those on the other diets.
The reduction was linked to a decrease in the liver’s production of new fat.
Glucose and insulin measures also generally improved more in the keto group.
About 50% of participants in that group no longer met the criteria for prediabetes by the end of the trial, compared with 29% of those following the Mediterranean diet and 7% of those on the low-fat diet.
ONE COMMON TYPE OF FAT MAY INCREASE DIABETES RISK, WHILE ANOTHER HELPS FIGHT IT The study’s short duration and small sample size — about 14 people in each diet group — limit how broadly the findings can be applied to the general population, the researchers said.
The researchers concluded that, among people with obesity , prediabetes and excess liver fat, the composition of a weight-loss diet may influence certain metabolic outcomes beyond the effects of weight loss alone.
The keto diet produced the greatest improvements in liver fat and liver insulin sensitivity in this small trial.
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