General Health, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity

A three-week ketogenic diet increases skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in individuals with obesity – a randomized, controlled crossover trial

Ketogenic diets are known for promoting weight loss, improving glycemic control, and providing other metabolic health benefits. Although the mechanism behind these beneficial effects isn’t completely understood, changes in insulin sensitivity (IS) may play a role.

Researchers recently aimed to investigate how a ketogenic diet affects IS in skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue in individuals with obesity and insulin resistance.

In a recent trial, 12 participants consumed a ketogenic diet for three weeks and a standard diet for three weeks in random order, with a one-week washout period in between. The diets were isocaloric and designed to meet each participant’s estimated energy needs, differing only in macronutrient composition.

Results after the ketogenic diet period compared to the standard diet:

• Biomarkers: Triglycerides decreased while other biomarkers did not change significantly.
• Insulin Sensitivity
• Skeletal muscle: Increased.
• Hepatic: No significant change, although basal glucose production was reduced.
• Adipose tissue: Decreased (reduced insulin-mediated suppression of lipolysis).

The authors noted that the ketogenic diet improved skeletal muscle IS likely due to lower insulin levels, but did not enhance hepatic IS. It also reduced adipose tissue IS, raising potential lipid metabolism concerns, although low insulin levels may mitigate this by promoting fat oxidation.

The findings from this small study suggest that the ketogenic diet may have varied effects on different tissues, indicating potential metabolic benefits and highlighting the need for longer-term studies to fully understand the diet’s impact on IS and type 2 diabetes risk.