A long-term ketogenic diet accumulates aged cells in normal tissues, new study shows

A strict “keto-friendly” weight-reduction plan fashionable for weight reduction and diabetes, relying on each the weight-reduction plan and particular person, won’t be all that pleasant.

A brand new research led by researchers at The College of Texas Well being Science Heart at San Antonio (UT Well being San Antonio) discovered {that a} steady long-term ketogenic weight-reduction plan could induce senescence, or aged, cells in regular tissues, with results on coronary heart and kidney perform particularly. Nonetheless, an intermittent ketogenic weight-reduction plan, with a deliberate keto trip or break, didn’t exhibit any pro-inflammatory results attributable to aged cells, in response to the analysis.

The findings have important scientific implications suggesting that the helpful impact of a ketogenic weight-reduction plan could be enhanced by deliberate breaks.

“To place this in perspective, 13 million Individuals use a ketogenic weight-reduction plan, and we’re saying that you’ll want to take breaks from this weight-reduction plan or there could possibly be long-term penalties,” mentioned David Gius.

Gius is lead writer of the brand new research titled, “Ketogenic weight-reduction plan induces p53-dependent mobile senescence in a number of organs,” published Could 17 within the journal Science Advances.

Different authors are also with the Division of Radiation Oncology and Mays Most cancers Heart, in addition to the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Ageing Research, Heart for Precision Drugs, College of Nursing, and Division of Nephrology within the Division of Drugs at UT Well being San Antonio; and each the Houston Methodist Most cancers Heart and Houston Methodist Analysis Institute.

An excessive amount of of a very good factor

A ketogenic weight-reduction plan, popularly generally known as keto-friendly, is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate weight-reduction plan that results in the era of ketones, a sort of chemical that the liver produces when it breaks down fat. Whereas a ketogenic weight-reduction plan improves sure well being circumstances and is fashionable for weight reduction, pro-inflammatory results even have been reported.

The brand new research exhibits that mice on two totally different ketogenic diets, and at totally different ages, induce mobile senescence in a number of organs, together with the guts and kidney. Nonetheless, this mobile senescence was eradicated by a senolytic, or a category of small molecules that may destroy senescence cells, and prevented by administration of an intermittent ketogenic weight-reduction plan routine.

“As mobile senescence has been implicated within the pathology of organ illness, our outcomes have necessary scientific implications for understanding the usage of a ketogenic weight-reduction plan,” Gius mentioned. “As with different nutrient interventions, you’ll want to ‘take a keto break.'”