Heads Up Keto Dieters

Long-term cancer risks with high-fat diet are murky

The ketogeneic diet, while not a new idea, has become wildly popular in recent years. The fat-based eating plan has gained status as the cool kids’ diet among Silicon-Valley types, and is in-vogue for weight loss.

Originally touted as an epilepsy treatment in the early 1900s, the popularity of the keto diet faded with the advent of anti-epileptic drugs in the ‘30s. While the reasons for the re-emergence of this 100-year-old diet strategy in the early 21st century aren’t entirely clear, marketing hype surely has contributed. Bulletproof coffee anyone?

The keto diet may indeed promote weight loss in the short- and medium-term, and that’s undoubtedly a good thing for people who need to shed some pounds. What’s concerning is that the new-found hip status of the eating plan means people are staying on it long-term even after achieving weight goals. Indeed, the web is awash with people’s reports of their miraculous keto diet success. But there’s a crucial point to remember here:

The plural of “anecdote” is not “data.”

What we already know is that the ketogenic diet raises levels of fats in the blood. That should be obvious — the diet relies heavily on fat calories. But, what we’re starting now to…