# Ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet is a very-low-carb (usually under 50 g a day), high-fat, moderate-protein way of eating that keeps your body in steady ketosis (burning fat for fuel and making ketones). It was first built to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in kids. Now it is studied for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and brain conditions. It seems to work by lowering insulin, improving metabolic flexibility (your ability to switch fuels), and through signals from the ketones themselves. Its long-term effects on cholesterol, kidneys, and how well people stick with it are still being worked out.

## Sources

- Paoli A, Rubini A, Volek JS, Grimaldi KA. (2013). Beyond Weight Loss: A Review of the Therapeutic Uses of Very-Low-Carbohydrate (Ketogenic) Diets. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.116
- Puchalska P, Crawford PA. (2017). Multi-Dimensional Roles of Ketone Bodies in Fuel Metabolism, Signaling, and Therapeutics. Cell Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.12.022

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