Frunobulax
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I suggest you look at the comments that were published in the Lancet, too. Among others, Zoe Harcombe responded to this (and it is linked on the page you reference), and I strongly suggest you check it out. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468266718302093. This study should never have passed peer review in a scientific journal because it makes so many methodical errors.
However, there are any number of studies "proving" dangers of ketogenic diet, because "keto" alone does not constitute a healty diet. It is very easy to design a diet that is ketogenic (low carb) but extremely toxic. Think 100% calories from trans fats. And yes, this happens a lot (in animal studies).
- There are for example mice studies that shows increased cancer rates with keto. The poor mice had to consume a fairly toxic mix of transfats and omega-6 fatty acids, which of course was ketogenic but still toxic... (This is similar to a "high-carb" study where 80% of calories come from sugar. This would be low fat high carb, but certainly have devastating results.)
- Similar to this, some human keto studies fail if the fat sources are predominatly vegetable oils high in omega-6 (like sunflower oil, canola or corn oil).
Note that a "well formulated ketogenic diet" is also low in omega-6 like linoleic acid, because this is at the very least cancerogenic if consumed in high amounts. If butter, olive oil and coconut oil are the dominant fat sources, then the results become very favorably for keto. - There are "low carb" studies where "low carb" is defined as 40% carbohydrates (and not below 20% as usual, or below 5% for keto). These "chocolate diets" have nothing to do with a healthy ketogenic diet, they are of course harmful.
- There are studies that consider low carb as harmful simply because it lowers insulin, and the authors think this is a bad thing.
- There are studies that run only a few days, observing a phase where the body has not yet adapted to keto.
We agree that keto is controversial, and that there are many studies both ways. But we strayed very far from "keto for ME/CFS" to a general discussion of keto, which has led to numerous flame wars in other boards. Personally I think keto is advisable and healthy, some ME/CFS doctors like Sarah Myhill strongly advise keto, but yes, this is a controversial position. I think everybody must make up her/his own mind.
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