Keto diet may increase kidney damage, new study finds

According to a recent study, mice on a high-fat, low-carb diet—also referred to as a ketogenic diet—accumulated a significant amount of ageing cells in their organs.

Influencers, athletes, and those looking to increase their metabolism and lose weight are all big fans of the ketogenic diet.

The heart, kidneys, brain, and liver are among the organs that are more stressed by the ketogenic diet, according to a study that was published in the journal Science Advances and was titled "Ketogenic diet induces p53-dependent cellular senescence in multiple organs."

But in mice that regularly skipped meals, the buildup of ageing cells—also known as cellular senescence—was reversed.

According to independent specialists who provided commentary on the research findings, the studies did not establish any negative health effects of ketogenic diets.

Wilson Tang, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist, was one of them and he pointed out that "the results don't prove that ketogenic diets are harmful in people." This paper adds significant value. We must exercise greater caution and less laxity.

The idea behind ketogenic diets, according to Science Advances, is that by consuming fewer carbohydrates, the body may burn fat instead of carbs.

The term "diet" comes from the substances the liver creates during this process, which are known as ketones.

The diet was first developed in the 1920s by a physician at the Mayo Clinic to treat paediatric epilepsy. Since then, people who want to improve their athletic performance, lower their blood sugar, lose weight, or achieve other goals have embraced it.

David Gius, a radiation oncologist at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in San Antonio, investigated how the diet affected p53, a powerful protein that fights cancer.

One of p53's functions is to trigger cellular senescence, a process in which stressed cells cease proliferating before becoming problematic; senescent cells are often eliminated by the immune system.

Jesús Gil, a cellular senescence specialist at Imperial College London who was not involved in the new study, clarified that persistent senescent cells might impair the tissues' capacity to heal and release chemicals that can cause inflammation and other negative consequences.

The journal goes on to say that "Gius and his team discovered the link between senescence and the supercharged ketogenic diet, in which about 90% of the calories came from fat, mainly in the form of the shortening Crisco.
"Rodents in the control group had food with only 17% of the calories coming from fat. Tissue samples from the mice's hearts, kidneys, livers, and brains were examined by the researchers after they had been fed these diets for seven or twenty-one days.

The researchers observed that in rats fed a ketogenic diet, the levels of the protein p53 increased. In addition, the researchers saw a rise in other chemicals that point to the existence of senescent cells.

The amount of senescent cells had nearly restored to normal following a three-week break from the diet, the researchers discovered.

The study also showed that senescent cells did not develop in the mice after they were given a high-fat diet for four days and then allowed to consume regular food for seven days.
When the mice were fed a regular diet again, Gil expressed astonishment when the senescent cells vanished, implying that the cells could not have been completely senescent but rather in a comparable, reversible dormant condition.

According to Yi Zhu, a cell biologist at the Mayo Clinic, senescent cells may not always indicate that tissue is sick because they aid in the healing of wounds.

Zhu continued, "Researchers would need to show that the cells injure the mice before anyone could argue keto diets are harmful. It is insufficient to demonstrate the negative effects of the diet with just a rise in senescence.

Additionally, David Allison, an Indiana University statistician and obesity researcher, pointed out that the new study demonstrates an effect "for this (one) diet that happens to be ketogenic." That doesn’t mean it’s true for all ketogenic diets.”
Gius said that even if the results haven't been verified in humans, they might still have significance for those on ketogenic diets.

We do not advocate for a poor diet. I think you should take a break," he suggested.