Database Analysis of Application Areas and Global Trends in Ketogenic Diets from 2019 to 2024.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines (bibliometric/trend mapping).
PubMed 40362787 · doi:10.3390/nu17091478
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic literature analysis adhering to PRISMA guidelines to evaluate global research topics and publication trends regarding ketogenic diets published between 2019 and August 2024.
What was found
A total of 290 intervention and observational trials were identified, covering 32 application topics—most frequently overweight/obesity, exercise, and epilepsy. The papers involved 1,981 authors across 47 countries and appeared in 153 journals. By study duration, 227 trials lasted less than six months, whereas 61 lasted six months or longer.
Why it matters
This review documents the broad expansion of ketogenic diet research beyond pediatric epilepsy into metabolic health and performance, while revealing that the existing literature remains heavily dominated by short-term interventions.
Limits
The abstract describes bibliometric and descriptive study characteristics only; it does not report clinical efficacy outcomes, effect sizes, participant numbers, or safety data. Methodological quality and risk of bias of the 290 included trials are not described.
Cited by
- supports A 2025 systematic review analyzing 290 ketogenic diet trials from 2019 to 2024 found that 227 (78%) lasted less than 6 months.