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Researchers are shedding new light on the ketogenic diet's impact on gut health and its potential role in weight management through a recent study.

This low-carbohydrate diet, popular for its weight loss benefits, has been under scrutiny to understand how it facilitates metabolic changes, particularly in relation to gut bacteria and bile acids.

The study reveals that adopting a ketogenic diet triggers significant alterations in the gut microbiome of mice, leading to elevated levels of specific bile acids like taurodeoxycholic acid and tauroursodeoxycholic acid. These bile acids are believed to inhibit calorie absorption in the intestines, potentially contributing to reduced body weight and improved fasting blood sugar levels.

Unlike typical animal studies, this research, published in Nature Metabolism, extends its implications to humans, finding similar associations between bile acid levels and metabolic outcomes in two human studies. This suggests a promising avenue for understanding how the ketogenic diet affects both rodents and humans alike.

Examining the effects in detail, researchers fed mice either a ketogenic or regular diet over seven weeks, observing marked changes in bioactive metabolites and notable reductions in body weight and fasting blood sugar levels among those on the ketogenic regimen.

Medical News Today reported that further investigations with diet interventions involving amino acid supplementation indicated reversals in weight and glucose-related changes induced by the ketogenic diet. Specifically, certain bile acids were found to play a pivotal role in these metabolic shifts, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets.

The study underscored the ketogenic diet's mechanism involving gut microbiome adjustments that influence bile acid production. By modulating these bile acids, the diet may mitigate calorie absorption through mechanisms involving intestinal protein regulation, potentially aiding weight loss efforts.

Moreover, the study highlighted the ketogenic diet's impact on gut bacteria diversity and its potential long-term implications on metabolic health. Alyssa Simpson, a registered dietitian, expressed caution about the diet's sustainability and health effects due to its restrictive nature, despite its effectiveness in short-term weight loss.

Eliza Whitaker, another expert, emphasized the study's findings while noting its limitations, particularly the focus on male mice and the variability in bile acid profiles between genders in humans.

Both experts, not involved in the study, recommended diets such as the Mediterranean or DASH diets for better long-term health outcomes, emphasizing their ability to support microbiome diversity and overall well-being.