An interesting study crossed my path this weekend, and it confirmed something I’ve witnessed repeatedly over the years—and have cautioned clients about time and time again.
This comes back to a core principle I strongly believe in: balanced nutrition, not extremes.
Some extreme diets are created for specific reasons usually used to manage certain medical conditions—not for the general population. When they’re pulled into mainstream use without proper a clear lens, that’s where problems often arise.
The diet I’m referring to here is the ketogenic (keto) diet. The ketogenic diet was originally developed for epilepsy and is still used to treat it today. But this should be under strict medical supervision.
Over the years, I’ve consistently seen people follow keto and eventually develop blood sugar problems, including type 2 diabetes, yet struggle to bring their A1C down—even with exercise and adapting to a healthy balanced diet. Interestingly, I’ve had far more success improving blood sugar control in individuals who previously ate poorly and didn’t exercise at all.
My working theory has been that insulin receptors become under-stimulated, essentially going dormant when they aren’t regularly “used.” It’s similar to what we see with anabolic steroid use and testosterone production: when the body receives something synthetically or bypasses normal pathways for too long, it down-regulates its own production.
A recent study out of the University of Utah adds some clear evidence that supports what I have witnessed throughout the years. Here is what the study had to say:
Led by physiologist Molly Gallop, researchers followed mice on four different diets for at least nine months:
- A high-fat Western-style diet
- A very-high-fat, low-carbohydrate keto-style diet
- A low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet
- A low-fat diet with protein matched to the keto group
While mice on the keto-style diet did lose weight, male mice developed fatty liver disease and impaired liver function, both markers of metabolic dysfunction.
Both male and female mice initially showed very low blood glucose and insulin levels within two to three months. However, deeper analysis revealed this wasn’t a sign of improved metabolic health—it was a regulatory failure. Pancreatic cells were no longer producing sufficient insulin.
As senior author Amandine Chaix explained, when dietary fat intake is extremely high, lipids must be stored somewhere—often ending up in the bloodstream and liver, placing stress on metabolic organs. The researchers suggest that lipid overload may impair pancreatic insulin production over time.
Importantly, when the mice were taken off the keto diet, blood sugar regulation returned to normal, indicating that these effects may be reversible.
What stood out to me in the study was that blood sugar regulation returned to normal once the mice were taken off the ketogenic diet. In my real-world experience—particularly with individuals who followed keto for a year or longer—I have not consistently seen blood sugar regulation return to normal. Many of these individuals remain metabolically compromised and are now living with type 2 diabetes.
This is why I continue to emphasize moderation, balance, and sustainability over dietary extremes. Weight loss at the expense of long-term metabolic function is not a win.
Let us at DEEM help find your balance and avoid short-term fixes that can lead to long-term damage.
Mouse Study Flags a Serious Downside to Popular Weight-Loss Diet : ScienceAlert
Mikkie Nettles-Pollon, Certified Personal Trainer/Holistic & Sports Nutritionist
Not sure where to begin, contact me at info@deemhealth.ca
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