Study finds keto diet improves beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes

A study has found that the keto diet may improve beta-cell function in type 2 diabetics by reducing beta-cell stress. The findings suggest that people following the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet have a higher chance of reversing their diabetes, compared to people on a low-fat diet. 

In type 2 diabetes, the beta cells in the pancreas cannot secrete sufficient insulin to control blood sugar levels. Suggesting a solution, the researchers explain that the keto diet puts the body in a ketosis — burning fat for energy instead of carbohydrates — and shifts metabolism to burn rather than store fat.

“We showed that three months of a ketogenic diet was able to improve beta-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes, and these improvements were associated with changes in the proinsulin-C-peptide (PICP) ratio, a biomarker of pancreatic stress,” says Marian Yurchishin, M.S., P.hD. candidate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, US.

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

The study authors note that the biochemical changes from the diet bring various health benefits, including improved beta-cell function, even without losing a large amount of weight.

High-fat outperforming low-fat

The clinical study, published in the Journal of Endocrine Society, included 51 people with type 2 diabetes. The majority, 71%, were women aged between 55 and 62, who followed either the keto diet or a low-fat diet for 12 weeks.

The researchers then compared the changes in the participants’ PICP ratio, which reflects beta-cell stress and has been shown in prior studies to decrease with diet-induced weight loss.

Both diets were prescribed as weight-maintaining, and both groups lost a small amount of weight on average. They found that the keto diet decreased the proportion of proinsulin secreted more than the low-fat diet group. 

The keto diet decreased the proportion of proinsulin secreted more than the low-fat diet.Having a lower PICP provides a healthier and more efficient insulin production. They found that 56% of the keto diet group had a greater reduction in fasting PICP, and 49% had a greater reduction after glucose challenge. 

The results indicate that after glucose consumption, people following the keto diet improved their beta-cell efficiency by 49% more compared to the low-fat group.

The low-fat diet group also saw improvements, but less strongly than the keto diet.

“We suggest that a ketogenic diet may reduce stress on the pancreas and improve the ability of beta-cells to secrete insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes,” says Yurchishin.

Science on keto

Previous research investigating the long-term effects of the keto diet raised questions about its safety and efficacy for improving metabolic health. The study suggested that the diet can potentially have dangerous impacts on metabolic health, including how the body processes fats and carbohydrates. It found a link to fatty liver disease and harm to blood sugar regulation.

Similar to the new study, recent research found that following a keto diet in combination with exercise is beneficial for lowering blood sugar, improving aerobic exercise adaptation, and building skeletal muscle. The study was conducted on high-blood-sugar mice to measure blood glucose responses during exercise. It suggested that these findings may be beneficial for individuals with hyperglycemia, as they often have a persistent low VO2 peak — the rate at which the body takes up oxygen during exercise.

The keto diet has also been found beneficial for treatment-resistant depression and lowering depression symptoms.