Germany: Findings from KETO-ADPKD, a randomized controlled trial, provide promising data on the effect of a ketogenic diet in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
The study, called Keto-ADPKD, was conducted by Professor Dr Roman-Ulrich Müller and his team at the University Hospital Cologne and the Aging Research Excellence Cluster CECAD of the University of Cologne. The translational nephrology unit led by Professor Müller at CECAD focuses on dietary interventions that prolong lifespan and combat diseases. In the KETO-ADPKD study, one of these dietary regimens – the ketogenic diet – was investigated as a treatment for polycystic kidney disease.
High fat, low carb: A clinical study on special diets at the University of Cologne shows promising results on the use of a ketogenic diet as a possible treatment for hereditary polycystic kidney disease. This disease causes about 10 per cent of all cases of kidney failure and is the most common hereditary kidney disease worldwide.
The study ‘Feasibility and impact of ketogenic dietary interventions in polycystic kidney disease: KETO-ADPKD – a randomized controlled trial’ has now been published as a cover story in the renowned journal ‘Cell Reports Medicine’.
Müller presented the topline results of the study at the ‘Kidney Week’ of the American Society of Nephrology in November 2022. The final results of the phase II-like study, which are now available, also showed that a switch to a ketogenic diet can have a positive effect on kidney function of ADPKD patients. 66 patients participated in the study and were divided into three groups: One group followed a ketogenic diet for three months, a second group did three days of water fasting once a month – a kind of zero diet that only allows drinking water – and a third control group followed the standard dietary recommendations.
One of the most important findings was that 95 per cent of patients in the ketogenic group and 85 per cent in the water fasting group reported the diet to be feasible. Many critics were initially quite sceptical: It would not be possible to change the diet accordingly in everyday life. However, the participants had…