Veneti · Nutrients 2023 · narrative review · n=?

Ketone Bodies in Diabetes Mellitus: Friend or Foe?

Cited 31 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review without systematic methodology or new human data

PubMed 37892458 · doi:10.3390/nu15204383 · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

This is a narrative review summarizing existing literature on the physiological and pathological roles of ketone bodies, ketogenic diets, ketonemia, and ketonuria in diabetes mellitus and metabolic disorders.

What was found

The abstract provides a qualitative overview describing the production of ketone bodies under physiological conditions (fasting, exercise, pregnancy, ketogenic diet) and pathological states (diabetic ketoacidosis, alcoholism). It notes the use of ketogenic diets as medical nutrition therapy for obesity and diabetes mellitus. The abstract reports no empirical numbers or quantitative findings.

Why it matters

It distinguishes nutritional ketosis used as a metabolic therapy from acute pathological hyperketonemia in the context of diabetes management.

Limits

As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic search protocol, predefined study selection criteria, risk-of-bias assessment, or quantitative data synthesis. The abstract provides no sample sizes or effect estimates.

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