Background and objectives Overweight and obesity are becoming more commonplace globally. The ketogenic diet (KD), also known as the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, has become increasingly popular in recent years as a means to lose weight quickly. This present study aims to examine the clinical effects of ketogenic diets in individuals who are obese or overweight by evaluating or assessing variations in metabolic parameters associated with lipid control, the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and other kidney risk indicators. Methods and subjects This observational case-control research involved 250 individuals in total and was conducted from May 2023 to January 2024. Of these, 158 were on a ketogenic diet, and 92 adults not following any type of diet were chosen to serve as controls. The biochemistry parameters of the kidney function test and lipid profile were measured for the two comparing groups. Data were analyzed for statistical significance using the Student t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a post hoc test (least significant difference (LSD)). Chi-square tests were employed in the analysis to compare proportions. Results Out of 250 participants, there was a 20-80 age range, with their median age being 40 years old. The two comparing groups' lipid profiles were very different from one another; the cardiovascular risk (triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein (HDL)), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride levels were all greater in the KD group when compared to the non-KD group. The mean LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of the normal-weight participants was 56 mg/dL (p=0.079). Thereafter, it experienced a significant rise to 97.58 mg/dL and 108.2 mg/dL in those individuals who were overweight and obese, respectively (p<0.020). Conclusions As obesity rates in the populace keep rising, dietary fads such as the ketogenic diet are gaining traction. Although they could help with weight loss, this study had a notable observation of severe hypercholesterolemia and increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among the ketogenic diet participants. Additional research is necessary to ascertain if a ketogenic diet can be sustained over the long term and how it affects endpoints that are more clinically significant, such as morbidity and mortality due to obesity.
Keywords: body mass index; cardiovascular risk; ketogenic diet; lipid profile; obesity; overweight.
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