Keto diet linked to risk of significant heart damage—taking small breaks can help
Following a ketogenic diet for an extended period of time may induce senescence, aging cells much faster than normal, according to new data published in Science Advances.[1] The study’s authors emphasized that this may be particularly damaging to the heart and kidneys.
The good news, however, is that following an intermittent keto diet with planned breaks appears to prevent senescence from being an issue.
“To put this in perspective, 13 million Americans use a ketogenic diet, and we are saying that you need to take breaks from this diet or there could be long-term consequences,” lead author David Gius, MD, PhD, assistant dean of research and a professor of radiation oncology with the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, said in a statement.
Keto-like diets have been around for a long time, but they gained immense popularity in recent years as an effective way to quickly lose weight. These high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets cause the body to enter nutritional ketosis, generating ketones that the body breaks down for fuel instead of carbs.
Gius et al. found that multiple keto-like diets were associated with inducing cellular senescence in mice, but intermittent keto diets neutralized the risk. A significant portion of the group’s work focused on senescence in the heart and kidneys. Researchers said senescence in these organs “can contribute to systemic inflammation and toxicity,” they observed.
“Our study showed that an intermittent keto diet can prevent the accumulation of senescent cells induced by sustained keto diets,” the authors wrote. “This observation builds on that of others, suggesting that an intermittent keto diet may be more beneficial than a long-term continuous keto diet, perhaps by avoiding eventual pro-inflammatory activation.”
Click here to read the full analysis in Science Advances.
Additional details about how keto diets may impact the heart and cardiovascular system can be found here, here and here. It did not make the cut when U.S. News and World Report shared its most recent list of the top 15 heart-healthy diets.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.