TABLE 1.
Conditions under study with a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diet1
| Condition | Proposed mechanisms2 |
|---|---|
| Cancer (ancillary treatment) | Warburg effect; reduced concentration of insulin and other growth-stimulating hormones and factors; immune modulation; reduced side effects of chemotherapy, radiation |
| Brain | |
| Breast | |
| Colon | |
| Endometrial | |
| Lymphoma | |
| Pancreaticobiliary | |
| Prostate | |
| Cardiovascular | Weight loss; reduced postprandial glycemia, insulinemia; anti-inflammatory effects of ketones |
| Chronic inflammation | |
| Dyslipidemia | |
| Endothelial dysfunction | |
| Insulin resistance | |
| Endocrine | |
| Diabetes, type 1 | Reduced postprandial glycemic excursions, lower insulin requirement |
| Diabetes, type 2 | As above; weight loss |
| Obesity | Reduced anabolic stimulation of adipose; partitioning of metabolic fuels |
| Gastrointestinal | |
| Fatty liver, nonalcoholic | Reduced postprandial glycemia, insulinemia; enhanced fat oxidation |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | Microbiome; carbohydrate fermentation |
| Neurological | Neuroprotective effects of ketones through reduced inflammation, edema oxidative damage, apoptosis, amyloid deposition; neural energy metabolism; epigenetic effects; microbiome |
| Alzheimer disease | |
| Epilepsy | |
| Mild cognitive impairment | |
| Multiple sclerosis | |
| Oxygen toxicity (underwater diving) | |
| Traumatic brain injury | |
| Spinal cord injury | |
| Psychological/psychiatric | Reduced withdrawal symptoms; reduced craving and reward, mediated by nucleus accumbens; reduced neuroinflammation; neuronal metabolism; microbiome |
| Alcoholism | |
| Autism spectrum disorder | |
| Bipolar disorder | |
| Mood disorders | |
| Schizophrenia | |
| Well-being/quality of life | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Exercise tolerance, physical performance | Improved access to metabolic fuels |
| Gangliosidoses | Increased efficacy, reduced side effects of primary treatment |
| Infectious endocarditis, diagnosis | Enhanced signal-to-noise ratio with 18F-FDG PET scan |
| Lymphedema | Endothelial cell function; lymphatic transport |
| Obstructive sleep apnea | Weight loss; decreased visceral fat |
1
Listed on clinicaltrials.gov as “Not yet recruiting,” “Recruiting,” or “Active, not recruiting” as of July 31, 2019. 18F-FDG PET, [18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography.
2
List not exhaustive.