There are thousands (if not more) anecdotal testimonials of the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet available at your fingertips. There are several studies attempting to understand the process and impact of ketosis from the perspective of organic chemistry. There are doctors (alternative and traditional alike) recommending the ketogenic diet for a variety of reasons. But until very recently, there was never a formal study conducted to determine specifically the weight loss effectiveness of the ketogenic diet.

However, in the November 2017 issue of the journal, Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, a study was released entitled “Induced and controlled dietary ketosis as a regulator of obesity and metabolic syndrome pathologies.” It’s quite  a science-y name for what is actually a rather straightforward study. 

Scientists took a group of 30 adults who had all been diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome. This disease is actually a collection of markers, including at least three of the following: high blood sugar, high blood pressure, obesity, high triglycerides and high HDL cholesterol.

All 30 of these adults exhibited at least three of those criteria, were considered to have metabolic syndrome and were recruited into the study.

The study lasted 10 weeks. One group was asked to eat the Standard American Diet (SAD) and not required to do anything else (control group). A second group was asked to eat the SAD, but also required to exercise 3-5 times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes (assessing the benefits of exercise alone). The third group was asked to eat only the ketogenic diet, and not required to exercise (to assess the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet alone, without the possible contributions of exercise).

The study didn’t simply want to see if the ketogenic diet resulted in weight loss (even though that was part of it), it wanted to see how it affected fasting triglycerides, A1C levels (a marker for diabetes), body mass index, body fat mass and a resting metabolic rate (essentially blood pressure).

To myself and those who have long been proponents of the ketogenic diet, the results were no surprise. However, they should be a surprise to the calorie-counting, extreme exercise crowd, or those who see the ketogenic diet as simply another fad.

The study reads “all variables for the ketogenic group outperformed those of the exercise and nonexercise groups.” The most significant variable was the resting metabolic rate, a measure of how much energy the body burns in a resting state. For those participants on the ketogenic diet, the resting metabolic rate was 10 times higher than both the exercise and nonexercise groups. For five of the seven participants who completed 10 weeks of the ketogenic diet, there were statistically significant losses in weight, body fat mass, body mass index and A1C levels. These people basically beat metabolic syndrome and ended a 10-week study as much healthier individuals.

Again, this isn’t any surprise. I see this sort of thing happen in my office, day in and day out. I see people go from obese to legitimately skinny, get their confidence back, take control of their health and live happier, more fulfilling lives. I’ve seen the ketogenic diet get people to ditch medications they thought they would have to take forever, baffle their primary care doctors, and lift the weight of fear about whether or not diabetes would be the end of them, or thyroid disease or even cancer.

Is it a panacea? Is it a magic bullet? No, but it will at least help you with nearly any health problem you may be struggling with.

Ketones are clean energy, like solar or wind. Sugar and carbs are like coal or fossil fuels. They leave behind toxic byproducts that accumulate and eventually damage your internal environment.

Ketosis (and fasting) eat away at the accumulated, toxic fat and protein. You become a cleaner, less toxic, more well-oiled organic machine.

And it is so simple in principle: high fat content, medium protein diet, low or non-existent carbs.

Finally, we have a study we can point to that very clearly and rigorously determined the benefits of the ketogenic diet. I say shout it from the rooftops.