Ketogenic diet: A nutritional remedy for some metabolic disorders

Abstract

Background: Ketogenic diets (KD) consist of high fat, moderate protein and lowcarbohydrates. Aim: This review explores the effect of ketogenic diet and its mechanismof actions indiseasemanagement. Methods: Recent information on ketogenic diets and disease management were retrievedfromacademic journals using scientific search engines and popular library databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR amongst others. Commentary: Ketogenic diet means a high fat, low-carbohydrate diet, with enoughproteincontent, which makes the body utilize fat, rather than carbohydrate, as a preferred energysource. There are four different types of ketogenic diet, the traditional classic ketogenic diet, mediumchain triglyceride (MCT) ketogenic diet, the modified Atkins diet (MAD), and the lowglycemicindex treatment (LGIT). The classic ketogenic diet, also known as long-chain fats consist of 16-20 carbon atoms. Its peculiarity is the low carbohydrate content, which could be difficult tomaintain. The MCT was developed as an alternative to classic ketogenic diet. It has afat composition of 60% octanoic acid (eight-carbon fatty acid) and 40% decanoic acid (10-carbonfatty acid). The MCT provides about 45% of energy when compared with the classic ketogenicdiet. The MAD though strongly encourages the intake of high fat, it allows for 10-20gofcarbohydrate per day. The LGIT permits only low glycemic index foods. Ketogenic diets havebeen a therapeutic strategy for several diseases such as obesity, dyslipidemia, cancer andabroad range of neurological disorders. Conclusion: The ketogenic diet, an effective and age-long treatment for epilepsy in children, isgradually gaining acceptance as a therapeutic modality for many other diseases.