Keto Diet Raises Metabolic Concerns, Study Finds
WASHINGTON D.C. – A new study published September 22, 2025, in Science Advances challenges the widely held belief that ketogenic diets are a healthy weight-loss solution, revealing potential long-term metabolic consequences. Researchers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) found โthat mice on a ketogenic diet developed glucoseโ intolerance, impaired insulin secretion, increased cholesterol levels, adn fatty liver disease – raising concerns about the diet’s suitability for sustained use.
The research,โฃ led by Molly R. Gallop and her team, โindicates that a long-term ketogenic diet may not be a beneficial health intervention. “These results indicate that long-term ketogenic diet leads โคto a variety of negative changes in metabolic parameters that question systematic use asโค health-promoting โnutritional โฃintervention,” the researchers conclude. The study’s findings align wiht existing reports โof โincreased cardiovascular disease, high โขblood lipid levels, and pancreatic โissues in patients with epilepsy who adhere to ketogenic diets long-term.
Researchers observed that the longer mice were maintained on aโ ketogenic โฃdiet, the more pronounced their glucose intolerance and impaired insulin secretion โbecame. The pancreatic beta cells, responsible for insulin production, were demonstrably damaged by the diet, leading to reduced insulin output and increasedโ insulin sensitivity in the mice. Conversely, mice on a 60 percent fat dietโฃ developed insulin resistanceโค as their weight increased – a hallmark of type 2 diabetes.
Electron microscopic images of the pancreatic beta cells revealed Golgi dilation in โฃthe keto diet group (ยฉโ Mollyโ R.Gallop). furthermore, the keto mice exhibited considerably elevatedโฃ cholesterol levels, a known risk factor for โcardiovascular diseases.โฃ within months, these animals also developed fatty liver.
whileโข the study was conducted on mice, the researchers note the parallels with observed health issues in human patients following long-term ketogenicโข diets. “Not be regarded as a measure against being overweight,” write Gallop and โher team. ( Science Advances, 2025; http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx2752). The study was reported by Elenaโ bernard and Claudia Crap.