The ultra-low-carbohydrate Keto diet can help people lose weight in the short term, but it may not be healthy over the long term.
The Keto diet emphasizes high intake of fats, some protein, and very small amounts of carbs. But if people on the diet choose unhealthy types of fats and proteins, there can be health risks, said Jeremy Furtado, senior research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in a January 22, 2019 MarketWatch article.
“When an individual adopts the Keto diet, they tend to emphasize saturated fats and animal proteins,” he said. “And both of those, in study after study, have been associated with health risks, [including] cardiovascular disease and some cancers.”
Recent research co-authored by Harvard Chan School experts suggested that the healthiest diets include moderate amounts of carbohydrates.
Read the MarketWatch article: Al Roker vs. Jillian Michaels: Who’s right about the Keto diet?
Learn more
Diet Review: Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss (The Nutrition Source)
Assessing low-carb diets (Harvard Chan School news)