Study: Ketogenic Diet May Improve Pancreatic Function in Type 2 Diabetes

A recent study in the Journal of the Endocrine Society compared the effects of a ketogenic diet and a low-fat diet on beta-cell function in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The research found that participants on the ketogenic diet showed a greater reduction in a biomarker associated with pancreatic stress.

Study Design and Participants

The research involved 51 participants with type 2 diabetes, aged between 55 and 62 years, with 71% of the cohort being female. Participants were assigned to follow either a ketogenic diet, characterized as high in fat and low in carbohydrates, or a low-fat diet.

Both diets were prescribed to be weight-maintaining.

Researchers measured changes in the proinsulin to C-peptide ratio, a biomarker used to assess stress on pancreatic beta cells.

Key Findings

• Both diet groups experienced a modest amount of weight loss on average.
• The group following the ketogenic diet demonstrated a greater reduction in the proinsulin-C-peptide ratio compared to the group on the low-fat diet.
• This reduction was associated with an improvement in beta-cell function, which is responsible for insulin secretion.

Researcher Statements

Marian Yurchishin, M.S., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a study author, stated:

"We showed that three months of a ketogenic diet was able to improve beta-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes."

Yurchishin added that the improvements were associated with changes in the biomarker and suggested the diet may reduce stress on the pancreas.

"Other than bariatric surgery or large-volume intentional weight loss, interventions for improving beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes do not currently exist," Yurchishin noted.

Context and Background

Type 2 diabetes involves insufficient insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells. A ketogenic diet shifts the body's metabolism toward burning fat. The proinsulin-C-peptide ratio has been shown to decrease following diet-induced weight loss and is considered a reflection of beta-cell stress.

Funding and Publication

The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Nutrition Obesity Research Center of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Diabetes Research Center of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Other authors included Amanda Finn, Lauren Fowler, Barbara Gower, and Sara Vere-Whiting. The study was published online under the title "Greater Reduction in the Proinsulin-C-Peptide Ratio with a Ketogenic vs. Control Diet in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes."