New research in mice suggests that ketogenic diets with a very high fat content could actually worsen skin inflammation. The team now urges people with psoriasis to avoid such diets.

Share on Pinterest Do certain ketogenic diets worsen skin inflammation?

Ketogenic, or keto, diets are high in fats and low in carbohydrates.

People often use such diets for weight loss, as they stimulate the body to enter ketosis.

This is a state in which the body starts burning fat for energy rather than carbohydrates, as it naturally would.

Some studies suggest that keto diets may help manage the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and protect against cognitive decline, and doctors sometimes advise people with epilepsy to follow a keto diet to reduce the frequency of seizures.

However, keto diets also come with some risks and side effects, such as flu-like symptoms and skin rashes.

Now, a study in mouse models with psoriasis-like skin inflammation suggests that some keto diets — those that are highest in fats — could actually exacerbate such skin problems.

The study authors — from Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria — report their findings in a paper that appears in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

“This study leads to a broader understanding of possible effects of ketogenic diets with a very high fat content on skin inflammation and underlines the importance of the composition of fatty acids in the diet,” says co-lead study author Barbara Kofler, Ph.D.