Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet Improves Immune Function

[Nakul]

I was watching a video of a conference somewhere and it was discussed that the ketogenic diet is emerging as an effective strategy not only to promote weight loss, but also to manage many comorbidities associated with obesity, including COVID-19. Can someone share more information about it?

[Cherry]

@nakul This development was revealed during the 8th International Scientific Symposium New Frontiers in Scientific Research, organized by PronoKal Group and held in Barcelona, Spain. During this conference, international multidisciplinary experts in the study and management of obesity presented the latest data on the benefits of treatment based on a very-low-calorie ketogenic diet.
Nutritional ketosis has gained great interest in recent years because it is shown to have beneficial properties for health and promotes healthy aging, increasing longevity. Furthermore, in the case of obesity, we have more and more evidence that it is an effective treatment, mainly because to achieve this metabolic state (ketosis), routes that require the combustion of fats are activated, and this induces body weight loss.
The specialist stressed that several strategies are currently used to induce nutritional ketosis. They all are characterized by low carbohydrate consumption (low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet; low-carbohydrate, low-fat diet; and intermittent fasting). But it was warned that to use it as a treatment for a disease such as obesity, it must be backed by strong and solid scientific evidence, moving away from the concept of fad diets.

In this sense, since 2010, several studies focused on analyzing the efficacy and safety of treatment with a very-low-calorie ketogenic diet, the results of which have been published in high-impact journals.

Studies has shown that the very-low-calorie ketogenic diet is effective for rapid weight loss and maintenance of lost weight, as well as reducing fat mass, primarily visceral fat mass.

Despite the strong weight loss it induces, it preserves muscle mass and function and improves resting metabolic rate. These two variables are important, because all therapeutic strategies that exist to lose weight lead to a significant reduction in fat-free mass and also a reduction in energy expenditure at rest. This factor is associated with the risk of regaining lost weight, which is currently the great challenge in the treatment of obesity.