APPLICABILITIES OF THE KETOGENIC DIET BASED ON SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE – LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the applicability of the ketogenic diet based on scientific evidence from a literature review. To this end, a literature review was conducted in databases such as PubMed, LILACS, SciELO, and BVS, covering the period from 2021 to 2025. This search yielded 12 articles published in Portuguese, which were analyzed from a descriptive qualitative perspective. The results indicate that the ketogenic diet has proven to be very effective in its applicability to diabetic and oncological patients, those with gut microbiota diseases, and individuals with refractory epilepsy. Despite these encouraging results, the research suggests that further studies should be conducted to broaden the understanding of the effects of the ketogenic diet on the health of its followers. The study supports this view, especially in cases where the ketogenic diet is adopted as a nutritional intervention for diabetic or cancer patients, due to the severity of their respective conditions, with a view to improving the health status of these individuals.