Ketogenic diet in adult obesity: safety, limitations, and evidence from various clinical applications
Więcej
Ukryj
1
Clinical Hospital of Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland
2
Medical Faculty, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland
3
Provincial Hospital in Poznań, Poland
4
Medical Faculty, Medical University of Lodz, Poland
Data nadesłania: 15-05-2026
Data ostatniej rewizji: 19-06-2026
Data akceptacji: 06-07-2026
Data publikacji online: 14-07-2026
Autor do korespondencji
Urszula Kacprzak
Clinical Hospital of Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego Str. 49, 60-355, Poznań, Poland; email: ula.kacprza@gmail.com
SŁOWA KLUCZOWE
DZIEDZINY
STRESZCZENIE
The aim of this study was to present the current state of knowledge regarding the use of the ketogenic diet in the treatment
of obesity in adults, with particular emphasis on its safety, indications, and contraindications, and to relate these findings
to its established use in drug-resistant epilepsy and other clinical conditions. Despite growing interest in its clinical
application, the effectiveness and safety of this intervention remain a matter of debate. A narrative review of the literature
available in PubMed and Google Scholar from 2021 to 2024 was conducted using the keywords “ketogenic diet,” “obesity,”
“epilepsy,” “type 2 diabetes,” “cardiovascular diseases,” “PCOS,” “neurological diseases,” and “psychiatric disorders,”
as well as their combinations with AND/OR operators. Meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews,
and selected clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the ketogenic diet were included in the analysis. The
ketogenic diet demonstrates effectiveness in short-term weight loss and improvement of selected metabolic parameters in
patients with obesity. However, its long-term effects remain equivocal and do not appear to offer significant advantages over
other dietary strategies. The diet is associated with a risk of adverse effects and requires appropriate clinical monitoring.
While it is a recognized and effective therapeutic option for drug-resistant epilepsy, its use in other conditions has not
been established as a standard therapeutic approach. The ketogenic diet may be considered as part of obesity treatment
in carefully selected patients, provided that potential benefits and risks are individually assessed. Further high-quality
studies are needed to determine its long-term effectiveness and safety.