Effectiveness of Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss: A Comparative Study

Running head: KETOGENIC DIET
Ketogenic Diet
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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KETOGENIC DIET
Introduction
Over-weight or obesity is the main risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardio-
vascular disease and some other musculoskeletal conditions. Moreover, over-weight hampers
the ability to control or manage the diseased condition (Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare, 2017). In 2014-15 28% of the Australian adults are obese and the percentage has
increased since 1995. Not only adults, children who are aged between 2 to 17 also suffer from
obesity (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). According to the review published
by Swift, et al. (2014), physical activity (PA) and exercise training (ET) is the two of the
most effective weight loss regime. The level of weight loss depends on the rate of physical
activity. Moreover, physical activity also has numerous health benefits in association to
weight loss. However, due to hectic schedule in present day corporate life prevents people in
to entering into a regular weight loss program (Clemes, O'connell & Edwardson, 2014).
Moreover, increase in the work hours in air conditioned rooms leads to increase in the
sedentary behaviour. This lack of physical activity in association with sedentary behaviour
aggravates the risk of gaining extra weight (Clemes, O'connell & Edwardson, 2014). People,
in order to fight against obesity, take help of several diet regimes. One of the popular diet
regimes is very low carbohydrate ketogenic diet (Paoliet al., 2012). The following essay aims
to elucidate the effectiveness of this self-administered practise in comparison to the orthodox
treatment. In order to provide valid results, the essay will critically elucidate the three
published research articles based on the comparative study of LCKD and low calorie diet.
The essay will also plan to through light on the effect of LCKD on muscle wasting, BMI and
glycemic control of the body. At the end, the essay will try to provide a concluding remarks
on the efficacy of ketogenic diet on weight loss.
Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (VLCKD) Vs Low Fat diet (LFD)

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Despite the several efforts coming from the medical community, obesity continues to
be one of the major worldwide health problems. According to World Health Organisation
(2012), more than 2.8 million adults die from obesity-related diseases each year. Although
fighting against obesity is a difficult task, but rigorous lifestyle interventions can help to lose
weight. One of the main lifestyle interventions is diet. A proper diet plan helps to restrict the
total energy and fat intake and thus promoting weight loss. Very-low-carbohydrate
ketogenicdiet (VLCKD) however, differs from the orthodox dietary regimes proposed by the
doctors towards weight loss regime. According to Accursoet al. (2008), VLCKD is
associated with 50 grams of carbohydrate intake per day. This goes against the prevalent low-
carbohydrate diet that facilitates 130gram intake of carbohydrate per day. One of the
important concern regarding the use of VLCKD is its effect on the individuals as it leads to
major lifestyle change (Alhassanet al., 2008). However, according to the reports published by
Buenoet al.(2013), based on the meta-analysis of the randomised control trails, VLCKD is
effective tool against obesity and the results also showed that greater dietary carbohydrate
restrictions lead to greater rate of weight loss in comparison to LFD (orthodox diet plan). The
significance of this study lies in the fact that, it specifically selected the randomised control
trails which have used participants who are above 18 years of age with BMI greater than 27.5
Kg/m2 and are on VLCKD or VFD. Moreover, all the RCT selected by the study were re-
verified on the basis of biasness co-factor. All the traits selected were open intervention with
no blinding of the trail participants. The statistical analysis of the data from the randomised
control study revealed that individuals who are assigned to VLCK was successful in
achieving greater loss in body weight over a follow up of 12 months. These findings are
again supported by the finding of Ebbelinget al. (2012)who showed that carbohydrate-
restricted diet plan is effective in comparison to LFD in the domain of retaining individual’s
BMR. The meta-analysis further revealed that VLCKD is also suitable in reducing the

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concentration of circulating High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) along with reducing the risk of
cardio-vascular threats associated with obese persons. However, this study has certain
limitations; for example, the meta-analysis is based on aggregated data collected from RCT
instead of patient’s data. Moreover, the study only accessed the blood risk factors associated
with the diet plan and ignored the hepatic lipid infiltration and endothelial function.
Ketogenic diet and its effect on muscle
However, observance of low-calorie diet is at times associated with deliberate
dehydration along with significant wasting of muscles. According to Turocyet al. (2011), the
traditional low calorie diet are unsafe for the health backup of the individuals as it is
associated with impairment of electrolyte balance, glycogen level and lean body mass.
Moreover, the use of LCKD for weight loss, despite showing high-rate of efficacy in weight
loss regime, has raised significant controversy in terms of muscle wasting and other
metabolic profile like insulin sensitivity, glycemic control and serum-lipid values. So, Paoli
et al.(2012) designed a study to investigate the effect of VLCKD on muscle strength of
athletes, especially for those who are engaged in weight category sports. Before the initiation
of the study, each athlete was given a detailed chart of food items that are either permitted or
prohibited in a ketogenic diet. The diet consumed was mainly rich in beef, veal, poultry, eggs,
seasoned cheese and raw or cooked vegetables. Moreover, during the breaks of ketogenicdiet,
athletes were also given combinational meals which are rich in protein and fibre.
Measurements were taken both before starting the VLCKD and the procedure was repeated
after 30 days of VLCKD observance. The study finally revealed that use of VLCKD for
relatively a short span of time (one month or 30 days) lead to reduction in body weight along
with body fat with zero negative effects against strength performance of the muscles in the
high-level athletes. The reasons cited by Paoli et al.(2012) in favour of VLCKD state that
satiety of proteins lead to appetite reduction while low fat diet leads to reduction in lipid