New study unveils ketogenic diet's role in combating obesity

In a recent study published in Nature Metabolism, researchers found that ketogenic diet (KD)-induced bile acids (BAs) play a protective role against obesity.

Background:

Obesity is linked to serious health issues such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, necessitating effective treatments.

The study:

Mice fed KD for seven weeks showed significantly lower fasting glucose levels and body weight compared to those on a standard chow diet (CD). Metabolomics analysis revealed changes in metabolic profiles, with 22 metabolites increasing and 18 decreasing.

Experiments with methionine-supplemented KD (KDM) reversed the beneficial effects on glucose levels and body weight, also lowering taurine-conjugated BAs. KD altered gut microbiota, reducing alpha diversity, a change reversed by KDM. RNA sequencing demonstrated that BAs TUDCA and TDCA downregulated the obesity-related gene CAR1 and reduced lipid accumulation.

Conclusion:

The study highlights KD's impact on gut microbiota and suggests TUDCA and TDCA as potential therapies for managing obesity and related metabolic disorders.