With more than 40% of adults in the U.S. suffering from obesity, medical experts often tout different diets to aid with weight loss. But when it comes to cutting liver fat, keto is king according to a new report.
The study recently published in the Cell Press journal, found that low carbohydrate diets triggered the largest rise in glucagon, which is the hormone responsible for burning the fat stored inside the liver. Keto also offered the largest decline in blood insulin levels. “The most surprising finding was that participants in the ketogenic diet group didn’t experience an increase in blood fat or cholesterol levels,” said Max Petersen, the study’s first author at Washington University School of Medicine. “Despite consuming the most fat.”
How Was the Study Carried Out?
42 obese adults with prediabetes and fatty liver disease were randomly assigned to one of three diets:
- Low carbohydrate / ketogenic
- Low fat
- Mediterranean
To make sure that participants followed their particular plan for 12 weeks, the scientists provided the appropriate foods and had regular meetings to make sure that the diet was being adhered to.
How Does the Keto Diet Reduce Fatty Liver Disease
The ketogenic diet reduced liver fat by an average of 67%, outperforming the Mediterranean and low-fat groups, who had both lost around 45% liver fat. But the success of the ketogenic diet is even more notable when you consider that all three groups lost around the same amount of weight.
“We know weight loss can improve metabolic health in people who are obese,” said the study’s corresponding author, Samuel Klein. “Our data suggest that if you have high liver fat content and prediabetes, reducing carbohydrate intake can have important therapeutic effects on metabolism beyond just weight loss alone.”
Drilling into the details, the ketogenic diet derived 4% of its calories from carbohydrates, and while all three groups saw a reduction on body weight of around 10%, the low carb group almost doubled their results when it came to no longer meeting the criteria for prediabetes.
Scientists now hope that this information can inform those who wish to avoid Ozempic style medications or wish to eat a diet that works in tandem with their prescription, to make better choices regarding the foods that they eat. “GLP-1-based medications have revolutionized the therapy of obesity. We now have a very effective pharmacotherapy for achieving significant weight loss,” said Max Peterson. “But in addition, our study shows that the specific composition of the diet can give you added benefits.”
