J Nutr 2002 Jul;132(7):1879-85 
  
A ketogenic diet favorably affects serum biomarkers for cardiovascular 
disease in normal-weight men.

Sharman MJ, Kraemer WJ, Love DM, Avery NG, Gomez AL, Scheett TP, Volek JS.

Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of 
Connecticut, Storrs 06269-1110, USA.

Very low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets are popular yet little is known 
regarding the effects on serum biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD). 
This study examined the effects of a 6-wk ketogenic diet on fasting and 
postprandial serum biomarkers in 20 normal-weight, normolipidemic men. Twelve 
men switched from their habitual diet (17% protein, 47% carbohydrate and 32% 
fat) to a ketogenic diet (30% protein, 8% carbohydrate and 61% fat) and eight 
control subjects consumed their habitual diet for 6 wk. Fasting blood lipids, 
insulin, LDL particle size, oxidized LDL and postprandial triacylglycerol 
(TAG) and insulin responses to a fat-rich meal were determined before and 
after treatment. There were significant decreases in fasting serum TAG 
(-33%), postprandial lipemia after a fat-rich meal (-29%), and fasting serum 
insulin concentrations (-34%) after men consumed the ketogenic diet. Fasting 
serum total and LDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL were unaffected and HDL 
cholesterol tended to increase with the ketogenic diet (+11.5%; P = 0.066). 
In subjects with a predominance of small LDL particles pattern B, there were 
significant increases in mean and peak LDL particle diameter and the 
percentage of LDL-1 after the ketogenic diet. There were no significant 
changes in blood lipids in the control group. To our knowledge this is the 
first study to document the effects of a ketogenic diet on fasting and 
postprandial CVD biomarkers independent of weight loss. The results suggest 
that a short-term ketogenic diet does not have a deleterious effect on CVD 
risk profile and may improve the lipid disorders characteristic of 
atherogenic dyslipidemia.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_u

ids=12097663&dopt=Abstract



Namaste, Liz
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