(P13-034-25) Dietary Intake Changes in Healthy Adults Following a Well-Formulated Ketogenic Diet

Objectives: Ketogenic diets (KDs) have become increasingly popular for weight loss, disease management, and disease prevention. KDs promote ketone production, but dietary composition of KD interventions is often poorly defined. Therefore, we examined changes in the dietary composition of healthy adults following an 8-week nutrient-dense, well-formulated ketogenic diet (WFKD).

Methods: This study used data from the Ketogenic Diet Health and Longevity (KDHL—PI: Sullivan, NCT05939011) trial at the University of Kansas Medical Center. A registered dietitian (RD) counseled participants on a WFKD using a standardized education manual. Participants recorded total dietary intake for 3 days pre- and post-diet. A RD reviewed and entered the food records into the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) version 2023 (Nutrition Coordinating Center (NCC), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN). We calculated mean differences and used paired samples t-tests to assess changes before and after the WFKD. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (version 29.0.2.0; IBM, Armonk, New York). Significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: Within the total sample (n=20; 43.3 ± 7.8 years; 70% female; BMI 27.4 ± 3.6 kg/m²), we observed changes in total calories (-592.82 ± 695.4 kcal, p < 0.001), net carbohydrate (-157.20 ± 78.60 g, p < 0.001), monounsaturated fat (+9.46 ± 19.00 g, p = 0.04), animal protein (+10.13 ± 21.64 g, p = 0.05), vegetable protein (-13.01 ± 14.14 g, p < 0.001), and cholesterol (+94.58 ± 175.33 mg, p = 0.03). By food group, participants increased intake of non-starchy vegetables (p = 0.02), non-citrus fruit (p < 0.001), avocado (p < 0.001), and sugar alcohols (p = 0.03). Participants decreased intake of potatoes (p < 0.001), other starches (p = 0.02), and citrus fruit (p = 0.02).
Conclusions: Healthy adults changed their dietary intake during an 8-week WFKD. This sample reduced intake of total energy and net carbohydrate and incorporated keto-friendly whole foods into the diet. KD research would benefit from well-defined dietary interventions and the development of a a priori scoring system to assess diet quality.

Funding Sources: The KDHL study was funded by the KUMC School of Health Professions Pilot Grant Award, the KUMC School of Health Professions PhD Student Research Award, and the KUMC Department of Dietetics and Nutrition.