KETO-MINOX: The Effect of Isocaloric, Energy-restrictive, KETOgenic Diet on Metabolism, Inflammation, Nutrition Deficiencies and OXidative Stress in Women With Overweight and Obesity

In recent times, the prevalence of obesity increases, reaching an epidemic scale. A new factor supporting a weight gain is a current coronaviros (COVID-19) pandemic, associated with reduced physical activity, high stress and overeating, which resulted in 2-5 kg weight gain in 20 % of the American population within a few months 1. Elevated body weight is a risk factor in developing several diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Therefore, obesity management solutions, such as diet therapy, are needed. The critical issue is to choose the most appropriate diet to obtain an efficient outcome in losing weight without experiencing adverse effects and a decrease in general health. A ketogenic diet, an auxiliary therapy for epilepsy, is recently one of the options commonly used for losing weight by individuals with overweight, tempted by the commercials and internet influencers. However, there is limited knowledge about the effect of this diet on human health. To date, the majority of studies were conducted with a very low-calorie regime applied before the bariatric surgeries, which itself may affect the loss of body weight. In most studies, the control diets were missing. Considering that a ketogenic diet is an extremely eliminating diet, there is a risk of nutritional deficiencies after following it. Therefore, there is a strong need for more in-depth and comprehensive elucidation of the safety and physiological effects of the energy-restricted ketogenic diet used for weight loss in individuals with overweight and obese.

This Project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the eight-week, isocaloric, energy-restricted, ketogenic diet as a weight management solution in women with overweight and obesity compared to the standard, balanced diet with the same calorie content.