The keto diet has been linked to numerous health benefits, including delaying the onset of early Alzheimer’s and boosting brain health. However, it’s also been linked to high cholesterol and reduced glucose tolerance. This dichotomy has led to some strongly advocating for keto and others strongly advising against it.
Now, research, published in Cell Reports, has found links between adoption of the keto diet and the easing of autoimmune symptoms, in what is being hailed as a major breakthrough for autoimmune disease suffers, such as those with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The study, carried out by researchers from the University of California San Francisco, found the low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet boosts levels of anti-inflammatory compounds in the body.
How does the keto diet impact autoimmune disorders?
The researchers theorised that the keto diet could help to soothe an overactive immune system, potentially benefiting individuals with conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Addison’s disease, and Graves' disease.
They discovered the keto diet makes the gut and its microbes produce two factors, which reduce symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Without carbohydrates to use as fuel, the body breaks down fat instead, producing compounds called ketone bodies. Ketone bodies provide energy for cells to burn and can also change the immune system. Working with a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), the researchers found that mice who produced more of a particular ketone body, called β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), had less severe disease.
The additional βHB also prompted the gut bacterium, Lactobacillus murinus, to produce a metabolite called indole lactic acid (ILA). This blocked the activation of T helper 17 immune cells, which are involved in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders.
“What was really exciting was finding that we could protect these mice from inflammatory disease just by putting them on a diet that we supplemented with these compounds,” says Dr Peter Turnbaugh, a researcher on the study.
It’s important to note, this research was conducted on mice, not humans. Further research, carried out specifically on humans, would be required to confirm the findings.
“The big question now is how much of this will translate into actual patients,” says Dr Turnbaugh
However, if the the keto diet is proven to have the same effect on humans, it could revolutionise the treatment of multiple sclerosis, and other autoimmune disorders.
“These results provide hope for the development of a more tolerable alternative to helping those people than asking them stick to a challenging restrictive diet,” adds Dr Turnbaugh.
What does this mean for food and beverage?
This new research could potentially lead to a surge in foods, fortified with β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), aimed specifically at people with autoimmune disorders, who do not want to adopt a keto diet.
Fortification, to create functional foods and beverages, is a fast-growing trend, with the global functional food and beverage market now valued at over $281bn. It’s likely then to be just a matter of time before the benefits of the keto diet are integrated into foods and beverages through fortification.
The results of this research could also lead to an increase in people with an autoimmune disorder, adopting the keto diet itself, to manage their symptoms.
What is a ketogenic diet?
The ketogenic diet, better known as the keto diet, is a low-carbohydrate, high fat and moderate protein diet, which shifts the body’s metabolism from using glucose as the main fuel source to burning fat and producing ketones for energy.
What are ketones?
Ketones are a type of chemical that the liver produces when it breaks down fats. The body uses ketones for energy during fasting, long periods of exercise or when it does not have access to carbohydrates.
There are four versions of the ketogenic diet:
- Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat diet. It typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbohydrates.
- Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This involves periods of higher carbohydrate re-feeds, such as five ketogenic days, followed by two high-carbohydrate days.
- Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbohydrates around workouts.
- High protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet but includes more protein. The ratio is typically 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.
Source: A diet-dependent host metabolite shapes the gut microbiota to protect from autoimmunity
Published online: 4 November 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114891
Authors: Margaret Alexander, Vaibhav Upadhyay, Rachel Rock et al.
