The metagenomic and metabolomic analysis supports unfavorable risk-benefit balance of the ketogenic diet

Our results indicate that obese mice fed with ketogenic diet experienced significant improvements in weight and body fat. However, we observed a significant reduction in intestinal microbial diversity, with an increase in the proportion of Firmicutes and an elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of 247%. In addition, ketogenic diet leads to changes in glucose, lipid, energy, carbohydrate, amino acid, ketone body, Butanoate, methane, bacterial secretion and colonization and other metabolic pathways in obese mice, leading to metabolic disorders of intestinal flora and increased intestinal inflammation, and these alterations led to metabolic dysregulation of intestinal flora and increased intestinal inflammation. We also found that the up-regulation of bile secretion and biosynthesis pathways of aminoglycoside antibiotics neomycin, kanamycin, and gentamicin were directly related to the reduction of intestinal flora. Based on our findings, we conclude that the risks of a ketogenic diet outweigh its benefits in obese mice.