Scientists recently studied mice to determine the impact of ketogenic diets on the body’s internal organs.
People who follow a ketogenic – or keto – diet generally eat foods high in fat and low in carbohydrates.
While people who follow this type of diet often lose a lot of weight in a short time, medical experts are concerned about the potential risks of keto diets.
The scientists in the current study found that mice put on a ketogenic diet had increased rates of cellular aging in their organs.
Researchers at UTHealth San Antonio, Texas, recently published a paper in Scientists progress by examining the effects of ketogenic diets, also known as “keto” diets, on mice.
With obesity rates increasing in the United States, many people are turning to diets that they believe can help them lose a lot of weight. The keto diet, traditionally used to treat epilepsy, is one such diet that has gained popularity.
Some features of the keto diet include consuming higher amounts of fat while reducing carbohydrate intake.
The researchers who conducted the current study took a closer look at ketogenic diets by experimenting on mice to see what impacts this diet has on health. They mainly wanted to know if diet contributed to cellular senescence.
Their results showed that when comparing a group of mice on a ketogenic diet to mice in a control group, the mice on a ketogenic diet had higher rates of aging in their body organs.
What characterizes the keto diet?
Macronutrients that people on a keto diet focus on include:
55 to 60% of calories come from fat
30 to 35% of calories from protein
5-10% of calories from carbohydrates (20-50 grams of carbohydrates).
To compare this to recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the FDA recommends that less than 10% of the calories people eat come from saturated fat, which is the type of fat found in beef, butter, and pork. .
The FDA notes that people should focus on foods that are a source of unsaturated fats — such as fish, avocado and nuts — because they can help manage cholesterol.
Additionally, the FDA recommends that people consume 275 grams of carbohydrates per day, which is significantly higher than the recommended carbohydrate intake for the keto diet.
This study consisted of testing the effects of a high-fat diet in mice. One group of mice served as a control group and were fed a diet consisting of 17% calories from fat, 25% protein, and 58% carbohydrates.
The test group ate mostly Crisco, which contained 84% unsaturated fat and 14% saturated fat. In the Crisco group, 90.5% of calories came from fat (which is significantly higher than the standard keto diet), 9.2% of calories came from protein, and 0.3% of calories came from carbohydrates.
The mice started their diet between 35 and 42 days and continued on their diet for 7 or 21 days. At this point, the researchers euthanized the mice and evaluated them.
Keto accelerates cellular aging in mice
The researchers monitored various health markers in the mice, such as ketones, glucose, insulin sensitivity, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein. They also checked heart, liver and kidney samples for signs of damage.
Scientists found that in some of the body’s major organs, including the heart and kidneys, the ketogenic diet contributed to cellular aging.
Mice in the Crisco group had a buildup of senescent cells, which are old cells that stop dividing but don’t die.
According to the National Institutes of Health, “cellular senescence is generally recognized as a process of damage leading to multisystem disease or aging.”
When senescent cells do not die, it can lead to inflammation, organ damage and contribute to the development of tumors.
Organ aging occurs on different types of keto diet
The researchers were curious how the mice in the Crisco group would compare to a group that ate a different ketogenic diet and tested these mice with cocoa butter. Cocoa butter contains more saturated fat than Crisco (40% unsaturated fat and 60% saturated fat).
The cocoa butter group also showed signs of organ damage and cellular senescence.
Digging deeper, the researchers learned that the process of cellular senescence was likely protein-related. AMPK And p53. When the researchers blocked the pathways of these proteins, the mice did not have the same levels of cellular senescence.
Scientists were also curious about whether cellular senescence was reversible. So they tested more mice on a ketogenic diet, checked their biomarkers, and found that over time, markers of cellular aging decreased after stopping the diet.
Although ketogenic diets can cause harm, research shows that this can be remedied either through medications that block certain proteins or by adhering to the diet intermittently.
Do these results apply to humans?
Scott Keatley, a registered dietitian and owner of a private nutrition practice in New York who was not involved in this research, spoke with Medical news today on the results of the study.
“The results are important because they provide a mechanistic understanding of how long-term ketogenic diets can potentially lead to cellular aging and dysfunction of critical organs such as the kidneys and heart,” he commented.
“This highlights the need for careful consideration of diet duration and composition when recommending a ketogenic diet, particularly for patients with existing organ problems or those at risk for chronic diseases,” Keatley continued.
He also noted that longitudinal trials in humans are the next step in confirming whether ketogenic diets cause cellular senescence.
“It is important for the public to understand that although ketogenic diets have proven benefits, particularly in the management of epilepsy and in promoting weight loss as a low-calorie diet, their long-term effects are not not yet fully understood and could include significant health risks,” Keatley said. . “Anyone considering such a diet should do so under medical supervision.”
Steve Gendron, PhD, a specialist in immunology and endocrinology, not involved in the study, also emphasized the need for human trials, commenting on the results:
“We need to follow people on a keto diet for years, not just weeks or months. Think of it like watching a TV series rather than a short film: you get the full story over time; this helps us see how keto affects organs and overall long-term health.
Gendron also said he wants to see studies with diverse populations and studies comparing how the keto diet compares to other diets for certain health conditions.
“The study used specific types of ketogenic diets, but there are many ways to practice keto,” Gendron noted when asked about the study’s weaknesses. “More variety in diet types could provide a more complete picture.”
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