The ketogenic diet (or keto diet, for short) is a low-carb, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits.

In fact, over 20 studies show that this type of diet can help you lose weight and improve your health (1Trusted Source).

Ketogenic diets may even have benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.

Here is a detailed beginner's guide to the keto diet.

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. It lowers blood sugar and insulin levels, and shifts the body’s metabolism away from carbs and towards fat and ketones.

There are several versions of the ketogenic diet, including:

• Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbs.
• Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher-carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high-carb days.
• Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.
• High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

However, only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied extensively. Cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods and primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes.

The information in this article mostly applies to the standard ketogenic diet, although many of the same principles also apply to the other versions.

There are several versions of the keto diet. The standard (SKD) version is the most researched and most recommended.

A ketogenic diet is an effective way to lose weight and lower risk factors for disease.

What's more, the diet is so filling that you can lose weight without counting calories or tracking your food intake.

One study found that people on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those on a calorie-restricted low-fat diet. Triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels also improved.

There are several reasons why a ketogenic diet is superior to a low-fat diet, including the increased protein intake, which provides numerous benefits.

SUMMARY A ketogenic diet can help you lose much more weight than a low-fat diet. This often happens without hunger.

Other Health Benefits of Keto

The ketogenic diet actually originated as a tool for treating neurological diseases such as epilepsy.

Studies have now shown that the diet can have benefits for a wide variety of different health conditions:

• Heart disease: The ketogenic diet can improve risk factors like body fat, HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar.
• Cancer: The diet is currently being used to treat several types of cancer and slow tumor growth.
• Alzheimer's disease: The keto diet may reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and slow its progression.
• Epilepsy: Research has shown that the ketogenic diet can cause massive reductions in seizures in epileptic children.
• Parkinson's disease: One study found that the diet helped improve symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome: The ketogenic diet can help reduce insulin levels, which may play a key role in polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Brain injuries: One animal study found that the diet can reduce concussions and aid recovery after brain injury.
• Acne: Lower insulin levels and eating less sugar or processed foods may help improve acne.

However, keep in mind that research into many of these areas is far from conclusive.