The ketogenic diet (KD) has garnered considerable attention for its potential therapeutic benefits and implications for health. The long-term effects of KD, particularly its impact on cellular senescence and inflammation, remain a subject of intense research. A recent study published in Science Direct explored these effects in both human plasma samples and murine models.
The study first analyzed plasma samples from a clinical trial where participants, varying in age, sex, and health condition, followed a KD for six months. Blood samples collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months indicated significant increases in pro-inflammatory biomarkers, TNFα and IL-1β, after six months on KD, in both male and female participants. Additionally, IL-6 levels were notably elevated in females after six months. Interestingly, these increases were not significant at the 3-month mark, suggesting that prolonged adherence to KD might trigger inflammatory responses.
These observations were consistent with findings in mice, where KD induced the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), implicating that long-term KD could induce similar pro-inflammatory states in humans. Then, after looking into the duration and reversibility of KD-induced senescence, they found that senescence markers minimally increased after four days on KD, significantly rising at seven and twenty-one days. However, upon returning to a normal diet after a 7-day KD, these markers gradually declined, approaching control levels within two to three weeks. This indicates that KD-induced cellular senescence is reversible upon stopping the keto diet.
“To put this in perspective, 13 million Americans use a ketogenic diet, and we are saying that you need to take breaks from this diet or there could be long-term consequences,” said David Gius, MD, PhD, one of the investigators in this study, in an interview to his institution, UT Health San Antonio. The study's findings underscore the complex nature of KD and its varying effects based on diet duration and composition. While short-term KD has been associated with metabolic benefits, long-term adherence may lead to detrimental effects such as systemic inflammation and cellular senescence.
Sources: Science Direct, UT Health San Antonio
