Practical guidelines for addressing common questions and misconceptions about the ketogenic diet

Abstract

Research publications on the ketogenic diet have experienced an exponential increase in recent years, driving clinical interest, which has expanded along with media interest. The ketogenic diet, originally developed as an epilepsy treatment, has a broad range of applications that include metabolic disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, and extends to a range of neurometabolic conditions such as neurodegenerative disorders and mental health conditions. The ketogenic diet promotes a state of nutritional ketosis that has unique benefits via multiple mechanisms. Heightened awareness of the potential benefits of a ketogenic diet has led to an increase in clinicians using this approach, and patients who are keen to explore this option may present having self-administered ketogenic diet therapy. Common misconceptions about the ketogenic diet abound on social media, causing confusion and distracting from its potential benefits, where nuance around diet quality and personalisation are key features of a successful implementation. By selecting common questions and misconceptions about the ketogenic diet from a social media platform, this article seeks to provide a concise, evidence-based guide to address these questions and support clinicians seeking to implement ketogenic diets in their practice.