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Ketogenic diet affects immune cells in mice

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 16, pages 196–197 (2020)Cite this article

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The ketogenic diet, which is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates, limits glucose availability and causes a switch to fatty acid metabolism. This diet is associated with weight loss and improved metabolic health in people with obesity, and it reduces inflammation in mice. However, how the ketogenic diet affects adipose tissue has been unclear; a new study suggests complex effects.

After 1 week on a ketogenic diet, the mice experienced modest increases in whole-body fat mass. However, after longer term ad libitum consumption of the ketogenic diet (2–3 months), mice gained considerably more weight than chow-fed controls and had increased fasting blood levels of glucose. After the long-term ketogenic diet, the number of macrophages had increased and the number of γδ T cells had decreased.

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References

Original article

  • Goldberg, E. L. et al. Ketogenesis activates metabolically protective γδ T cells in visceral adipose tissue. Nat. Metab. 2, 50–61 (2020)

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  1. Nature Reviews Endocrinology http://www.nature.com/nrendo/

    Claire Greenhill

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  1. Claire Greenhill
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Correspondence to Claire Greenhill.

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Greenhill, C. Ketogenic diet affects immune cells in mice. Nat Rev Endocrinol 16, 196–197 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0328-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0328-x

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