Instead of eating lots of carbs, people on the keto diet fuel up on fats and small amounts of proteins. These dieters reduce their sugar intake, but they also limit the healthier carbs they consume.
Recent studies have cast doubts on the benefits of long-term keto diets. In August, for example, a study of more than 447,000 people found that eliminating entire food groups could lead to premature death.
The keto diet could have negative consequences in the long run because it essentially requires participants to eliminate lots of fruits and vegetables. Eating fewer than 50 grams of carbs a day on the keto diet means having no more than two apples' worth of carbs.
In addition, there is some evidence that a low-carb diet like keto could lead people to become less tolerant of glucose and develop diabetes, though there is little research on this connection.
Nevertheless, some benefits of the keto diet are clear. The method can help people lose weight and control their blood-sugar. It can also benefit children who have epileptic seizures.