SAN ANTONIO – If you’re a hardcore “keto” dieter, you may want to take a break from it.
According to a new study led by researchers at UT Health San Antonio, continuous long-term attention to the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet popular for weight loss and diabetes may lead to the aging of cells in normal tissues, particularly affecting heart and kidney function.
Recommended Videos
The study recommends dieters take an intermittent attitude by taking planned breaks.
“To put this in perspective, 13 million Americans use a ketogenic diet, and we are saying that you need to take breaks from this diet or there could be long-term consequences,” said David Gius, MD, PhD, assistant dean of research and professor with the Department of Radiation Oncology in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio, and associate cancer director for translational research at the institution’s Mays Cancer Center.
Gius is the lead author of the study “Ketogenic diet induces p53-dependent cellular senescence in multiple organs,” which was published Friday in the journal Science Advances.
To read more about the study, click here.