Testing the Keto Diet Theory
Do low-carb and ketogenic diets have a metabolic advantage for weight loss? When you eat fewer carbohydrates, your body burns more fat. However, eating more fat on a ketogenic diet can offset this rise in fat burning when it comes to overall fat balance. Proponents of low-carb diets have suggested there would be less fat storage due to decreased insulin secretion, leading to a perfect combination of fat loss. To test this theory, $40 million in funding was granted for research through the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI). However, research sponsored by NuSI found that body fat loss actually slowed down during a ketogenic diet. By the second month, participants in the research study were losing more lean mass and retaining body fat. This experimental falsification of the low-carb theory ultimately led to the collapse of the Nutrition Science Initiative, but not before millions of dollars were personally pocketed by its founders.