A new study has found a possible link between the keto diet and type 2 diabetes in mice, prompting concerns that more research is needed on the diet.
The diet involves eating foods high in fats and low in carbs, prompting the body into a state of ketosis where ketone bodies produced by the liver and breakdown of fatty tissue are used for energy instead of sugars from carbs.
But a new study published in the Journal of Physiology found after starting the diet, mice's livers began rejecting insulin almost immediately. They were unable to regulate their sugar levels after three days on the diet.
According to researchers the liver resisting insulin could mean an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but it's important to remember this is only a preliminary study.
"One cannot make any assumptions without testing this in humans," Christian Wolfrum, one of the study's authors told Live Science.
He said it shouldn't stop people from changing their diet, but they should remember the jury is still out on the risks and benefits of keto.
"[A] more balanced food intake is probably the healthiest way to live," he said.
Newshub.
