Methodological Challenges and Confounders in Research on the Effects of Ketogenic Diets: A Literature Review of Meta-Analyses

Several meta-analyses have found a positive association between a popular type of "fad diet", ketogenic diets, and their effect on anthropometric and blood parameters. However, the non-specific inclusion criteria for meta-analyses may lead to incorrect conclusions. The aim of this literatu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Foods 2024-01, Vol.13 (2), p.248
Main Authors: Szendi, Katalin, Murányi, Edit, Hunter, Nicole, Németh, Balázs
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
caloric intake
Carbohydrates
Clinical trials
Criteria
Diabetes
Diet
Epilepsy
fad diet
Fatty acids
High fat diet
Ketogenesis
ketogenic diet
ketone bodies
Ketones
Ketosis
literature review
Literature reviews
Low carbohydrate diet
Medical personnel
Medical research
Meta-analysis
Oils & fats
Online databases
Parameters
Physiology
Type 2 diabetes
types of fatty acids
Weight loss
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Summary:Several meta-analyses have found a positive association between a popular type of "fad diet", ketogenic diets, and their effect on anthropometric and blood parameters. However, the non-specific inclusion criteria for meta-analyses may lead to incorrect conclusions. The aim of this literature review is to highlight the main confounders and methodological pitfalls of meta-analyses on ketogenic diets by inspecting the presence of key inclusion criteria. The PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for meta-analyses. Most meta-analyses did not define the essential parameters of a ketogenic diet (i.e., calories, macronutrient ratio, types of fatty acids, ketone bodies, etc.) as inclusion criteria. Of the 28 included meta-analyses, few addressed collecting real, re-measured nutritional data from the ketogenic diet and control groups in parallel with the pre-designed nutritional data. Most meta-analyses reported positive results in favor of ketogenic diets, which can result in erroneous conclusions considering the numerous methodological pitfalls and confounders. Well-designed clinical trials with comparable results and their meta-analyses are needed. Until then, medical professionals should not recommend ketogenic diets as a form of weight loss when other well-known dietary options have been shown to be healthy and effective.
ISSN:2304-8158
2304-8158
DOI:10.3390/foods13020248