ketogenic diet

[ kee-toh-jen-ik dahy-it ]

noun

1. a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that causes the breakdown of fats into ketone bodies, which consequently replace carbohydrates as the body’s main source of energy: used as a regimen for weight loss, the ketogenic diet is also used to control certain medical disorders or episodes, especially epileptic seizures in children.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ketogenic diet¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Mice fed a particular type of ketogenic diet accumulated so-called senescent cells in their organs, researchers report today in Science Advances.

From Science Magazine

Radiation oncologist David Gius wasn’t looking for detrimental outcomes of the ketogenic diet.

From Science Magazine

Gius and his team stumbled on the senescence connection when they put mice on a supercharged ketogenic diet in which about 90% of the calories came from fat—mainly in the form of the shortening Crisco.

From Science Magazine

Levels of the p53 protein climbed in animals on the ketogenic diet, the team found.

From Science Magazine

Adding a pre-ketone supplement -- a component of a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet -- to a type of cancer therapy in a laboratory setting was highly effective for treating prostate cancer, researchers from the University of Notre Dame found.

From Science Daily