Further Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet

            A study published in mid-November of this year reported on the newfound benefits of the ketogenic diet as a deterrent of the flu. Researchers discovered that when mice with diets composed mainly of fats and minimal carbohydrates were exposed to the influenza virus, they did not develop the illness (Youm et al., 2015). This study was inspired by a previous study in 2015 which supported the idea that ketone bodies produced during adhesion to the ketogenic diet prevented the activation of inflammatory complex named NLRP3. Within the next year, another study identified this complex as the mediator of the influenza virus, making their collaboration inevitable (Olena, 2019).

            The two groups of researchers determined that mice on the ketogenic diet were producing four times the number of gamma-delta T cells three days after infection than those on the non-ketogenic diet. Our bodies produce two types of immune cells, alpha-beta T cells and gamma-delta T cells, which prevent infection of a virus by attacking and eliminating the threat. In this case, the gamma-delta T cells increased the amount of mucus that the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract produce, thereby preventing the spread of the virus (Goldberg et al., 2019). 

            The implications of this data extend beyond treatment of the yearly flu. Researchers identified overweight populations as those who have an increased risk of developing the flu, and therefore could benefit from the ketogenic diet both in terms of reducing weight and preventing complications of the influenza virus (Olena, 2019). This research comes at a time when diet fads at all the rage. By identifying the mechanisms behind how these diet work and the possible other benefits, trends that start out as a get-slim-fast scheme can become beneficial to a greater number of people and have lasting effects beyond lower the number on a scale.

References

Goldberg E., Molony R., Kudo E., Sidorov S., Kong Y., Dixit V.D., Iwasaki A. (2019).    Ketogenic diet activates protective γδ T cell responses against influenza virus infection.       Science Immunology. 4 (41)

Olena, A. (2019). Keto Diet Protects Mice from Flu. Retrieved 2 December 2019, from    https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/keto-diet-protects-mice-from-flu-66731

Youm, Y., Nguyen, K., Grant, R. et al. (2015). The ketone metabolite β-hydroxybutyrate blocks NLRP3 inflammasome–mediated inflammatory disease. Nat Med21, 263–269