A new clinical trial reveals that while different diets can lead to similar weight loss, the ketogenic diet offers superior benefits in reducing liver fat and reversing prediabetes, challenging traditional dietary advice.
A new clinical trial suggests that not all weight-loss diets affect the body in the same way, even when the scale moves by the same amount. In research published in Cell Metabolism, adults with obesity, prediabetes and fatty liver disease lost about 10% of their body weight on three different eating plans, yet the ketogenic diet produced the largest drop in liver fat.
The study compared a very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet with a Mediterranean diet and a low-fat, plant-forward diet. Researchers provided the food and met participants weekly with a dietitian, making this a tightly controlled trial rather than a self-reported diet survey. Over roughly four to five months, the ketogenic group reduced liver fat by 67%, compared with 45% in each of the other two groups.
The metabolic benefits went beyond the liver. According to reporting on the trial, about half of the people on the ketogenic diet no longer met the criteria for prediabetes by the end of the study, compared with 29% in the Mediterranean group and 7% in the plant-forward group. The research also found no rise in blood fat or cholesterol levels among participants on the ketogenic plan, despite its high fat content.
Even so, the findings do not amount to a general endorsement of keto for everyone. The trial was small, involving 42 adults, and it lasted only a few months. That leaves open important questions about long-term adherence, cardiovascular effects and nutrient balance. The broader message is more nuanced: weight loss matters greatly for fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, but the make-up of the diet can influence which metabolic gains are strongest.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
