The Effect of Ketogenic Diet on Weight Loss in Adult Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials

Abstract

Recently, Ketogenic diets have been investigated as an adjunct cancer treatment. This study aimed to summarize the effect of a ketogenic diet on weight in adults with cancer. Literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science (ISI), Scopus, and Google Scholar up to August 2020. The overall estimates were calculated through a random-effects model. A total of eight trials were eligible to be included in the current study. Meta-analysis revealed that a ketogenic diet significantly reduces body weight in cancer patients [weighted mean difference (WMD) = −3.992 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI): −7.417 to 0.566, P = 0.022, n = 7]. The subgroup analysis revealed that the decreasing effect remained significant in trials done in patients with breast cancer (WMD = −3.332 kg, 95%CI: −4.169 to −2.495, P < 0.001, n = 3) and in studies with >10 (WMD = −2.795, 95%CI: −4.053 to −1.537, P < 0.001, n = 3) and ≤10 weeks of duration (WMD = −7.257, 95%CI: −13.034 to −1.481, P = 0.014, n = 4). However, our findings did not support significant effect of ketogenic diets on body mass index (BMI) (WMD = −1.808 kg/m2, 95%CI: −3.945 to 0.33, P = 0.097, n = 4). In conclusion, ketogenic diets might result to a weight loss in adults with cancer. Future well-designed randomized controlled clinical trials might warrant current findings.