Nick Norwitz breaks down a 6-month study comparing keto, Mediterranean, and low-fat plant-based diets in people with obesity. When weight loss was equal across all three, keto cut liver fat, inflammation, and insulin resistance more than the other two. The finding challenges the idea that Mediterranean diets are the most heart-healthy option.
Could bacon and eggs be a healthier breakfast for your heart than oatmeal? Well, researchers just tested this in a 6-month randomized controlled trial in which they fed participants a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet versus a Mediterranean diet or a low-fat plant-based diet. And the low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet, including, and this is from the methods, omelets with bacon, cheesy beef, and pulled pork, it won. Now, all 3 diets were designed to cause equal weight loss, but beyond the scale, the keto group saw larger improvements in liver fat, inflammation, Inflammation, fat in the blood, and insulin resistance scores, which are all strongly linked to heart health. And the researchers themselves conclude that these results demonstrate that a very low-carb diet has greater cardiometabolic benefits than a matched Mediterranean or low-fat plant-based diet in people with obesity. I get into more nuances in my deep dive newsletter, which you can check out below, but the punchline is, if you have obesity, a high-fat ketogenic diet with, yes, bacon and eggs might be better for your heart than oatmeal and berries. Sorry, Quickers. Not bad for a heart-healthy diet.
