SynthesisNutrients2021
Effect of Ketogenic Diet on Quality of Life in Adults with Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adverse events and tolerability of ketogenic diets - a systematic literature analysis.BMC nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Evidence on the Relationships Between Total Fat Intake and Health Outcomes Other Than Unhealthy Weight Gain in Adults and Children: A Scoping Review.Cochrane evidence synthesis and methods · 2026Review
- The mediating role of the kynurenine pathway in longitudinal associations between dietary intake and quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors up to 12 months posttreatment.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Ketogenic Diet-Associated Worsening of Osteoarthritis Histologic Secerity, Increased Pain Sensitivity and Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis in Mice.ACR open rheumatology · 2025Article
- Effect of anti-inflammatory diets on health-related quality of life in adults with chronic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2025Article
- Alzheimer's Disease as Type 3 Diabetes: Understanding the Link and Implications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- β-Hydroxybutyrate enhances chondrocyte mitophagy and reduces cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis via the HCAR2/AMPK/PINK1/Parkin pathway.Aging cell · 2024Article
- Sex-dependent effects of carbohydrate source and quantity on caspase-1 activity in the mouse central nervous system.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2024Article
- The impact of ketogenic diet on some metabolic and non-metabolic diseases: Evidence from human and animal model experiments.Food science & nutrition · 2024Review
- Managing multiple sclerosis in individuals aged 55 and above: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- Low-Carbohydrate Diet and Human Health.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Uncovering culinary medicine research themes: Current status and future direction.F1000Research · 2023Article
- Nutritional intervention for diabetes mellitus with Alzheimer's disease.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic diseases adversely affect quality of life (QOL). The ketogenic diet (KD) may improve the QOL.
objectiveThe aim of this systematic review was to summarize the available evidence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to establish the effect of KD on the QOL in adults with chronic diseases.
methodsReporting followed PRISMA guidelines. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted on adults with chronic disease including an intervention group that received KD and a control group, and where QOL was reported as outcome. We searched PubMed, APA PsycInfo, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov, and the references of the included articles and previous relevant reviews, without language or time restrictions. We critically appraised included studies and narratively synthesized their findings.
resultsNine RCTs were included. The risk of bias was low, except of allocation concealment and blinding. In patients with cancer: one RCT found an improvement in overall QOL, another reported improved physical component summary, and one found no superiority of KD in all QOL domains. In patients with neurological disorders: improved QOL was reported in Alzheimer's disease patients, whereas no difference in mental and physical health QOL was noted in patients with multiple sclerosis. In patients with obesity and type II diabetes: one RCT reported superiority of energy-restricted KD in improving role functioning, mental health, health perceptions, and pain compared with guideline-based diet, whereas in another RCT, high and low carbohydrate diets achieved comparable improvements. Among patients with knee osteoarthritis, no differences between KD and low-fat groups were noted. Dietary compliance with the KD, reported in three studies, was shown to be high. Side effects were mostly noted during the first weeks of intervention, and adverse events were not markedly different with KD and the comparison diet.
conclusionsThe evidence from RCTs investigating the effect of KD on QOL in adults with chronic disease is inconclusive. The promising effect noted in some included studies and the low rates of adverse events and side effects encourage future investigations in this regard.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.