Ketogenic diets for weight loss: A review of their principles, safety and efficacy

Low-carbohydrate "ketogenic" diets have increased in popularity over recent years as a means of weight loss. Published studies of these diets have been highly heterogeneous, and it remains unclear to what degree dietary carbohydrate intake must be restricted in order to induce ketosis. Despite concern that they are often relatively high in fat, ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have been generally shown to compare favourably with low-fat diets in terms of weight toss and improvements in triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein levels. This review includes a brief overview of ketone body metabolism, and summarises the literature regarding the safety and efficacy of ketogenic diets for weight loss. (C) 2007 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.