Metabolic and Inflammatory Outcomes of the Ketogenic Diet Comparing Saturated and Unsaturated Fat Sources (KETO-IM)

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare a healthy KETO diet supplemented with canola oil (KETO-Can) compared to a traditional KETO diet high in saturated fat (KETO-Sat) and low-fat diet (LFD) in adults at high risk of or diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The main question[s] it aims to answer are:

• Effects on CVD risk factors (plasma cholesterol, TG, ApoB100, glucose, insulin and HbA1C).
• Effects on systemic inflammation and immune function.
• Adherence to interventions.

Participants will be randomized into 1 of the dietary treatments during which they will follow a Keto or a low-fat diet.

Comparisons among groups at 3 and 6 months of intervention will be conducted.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; PreDiabetes; Overweight and Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Keto-CAN; Other: Keto-SAT; Other: LFD

Detailed Description

The ketogenic diet (KETO) is popular for weight loss and is gaining interest as a treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D) because it is believed to help manage blood glucose and weight. However, KETO is often high in saturated fats (SFA), which may increase cholesterol and other cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors, such as inflammatory profile. Substituting a heart-healthy oil for SFA may improve these outcomes.

The purpose of our study is to investigate the health beneficial effects of a healthy KETO diet supplemented with Canola oil, compared to a traditional Keto Diet and low-fat diet in adults at high risk of type 2 diabetes. Participants will be randomized to one of these three diets and will receive nutrition counselling during 6 months.

Each month, participants will receive a 1-month supply of canola oil in the KETO-Can group, butter and coconut oil in the KETO-Sat group and whole grain foods (pasta or brown rice) and oatmeal in the LFD group to ensure compliance to key nutrients.

Fasting blood samples will be taken at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Anthropometric measurements (weight (BW), waist circumference (WC), BMI), blood pressure (BP), systemic inflammation (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-18), immune function, cardiometabolic risk factors (TG, cholesterol, glucose, insulin and HbA1C) will be determined at each time point.

A total of three 24h-recall questionnaires (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) will be completed at each time point (baseline, 3 months, 6 months). Once a month (in between study visits) a 24h-recall will be completed before meeting the nutrition expert in order to personalize recommendations according to participants' respective diet groups.

As in any nutritional study, adherence for nutrition study is a key factor and will be measured differently during the intervention. Menu examples will be provided for each group to facilitate adherence. Adherence to the study protocol will be assessed by (1) evaluation of 24-h recall data (14 in total). Participants with 11 out of 14 recalls being within meeting dietary objectives will be considered highly compliant, 6 or less would be low compliance; (2) Ketosis state will be measured at each study visit using ketone strips to assess adherence to both KETO diets; (3) Participants will be asked to report the food consumed each month to determine the level of consumption. Finally, fatty acid composition in plasma (short-term) and red blood cells (RBCs; reflect the past 3 months) will be assessed to confirm adherence between the two keto diets.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 175
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Paulina Blanco Cervantes, MSc; Phone Number: 7804929506; Email: blancoce@ualberta.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Alberta
    • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
      • Recruiting
      • University of Alberta
      • Contact: Paulina Blanco Cervantes, MSc; Phone Number: 780-492-9506; Email: blancoce@ualberta.ca
      • Contact: Catherine Chan, PhD; Phone Number: 780-492-9939; Email: cbchan@ualberta.ca
      • Principal Investigator: Catherine Chan, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Caroline Richard, PhD, RD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Having overweight or obesity and HbA1C ≥ 5.7% at screening

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with specific nutritional habits preventing them from adhering to nutritional recommendations
• Pregnant women
• People on dialysis or recommended to follow a low-protein diet (base on glomerular filtration rate)
• Familial hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia
• Transitioning trans-gender
• For safety purposes, other individuals would be excluded if are under unstable health conditions.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: KETO-Can; KETO diet supplemented with Canola oil (high in MUFA and omega-3 FA).	Other: Keto-CAN; Nutrition counselling focused on Keto diet (unsaturated fat). 10% TE as carbohydrate (mainly from vegetables and whole grain products), protein between 20-30% TE and fat between 60-70%.
Experimental: KETO-Sat; KETO diet supplemented with butter and coconut oil (high in SFA).	Other: Keto-SAT; Nutrition counselling focused on Keto diet (saturated fat). 10% TE as carbohydrate (mainly from vegetables and whole grain products), protein between 20-30% TE and fat between 60-70%.
Active Comparator: Low fat diet (LFD); Low fat diet supplemented with whole grain foods (pasta or brown rice) and oatmeal.	Other: LFD; Nutrition counselling focused on low-fat diet. 30% total energy (TE) as fat, 50% TE as carbohydrates (primarily whole grains) and 17-20% TE protein (mainly lean sources).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Effect of diets on plasma triglycerides levels by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 3 months).	Assess triglycerides levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. Triglycerides will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	3 months
Effect of diets on plasma triglycerides levels by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 6 months).	Assess triglycerides levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. Triglycerides will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	6 months
Effect of diets on LDL-cholesterol levels by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 3 months).	Assess LDL-cholesterol levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. LDL-Cholesterol levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	3 months
Effect of diets on LDL-cholesterol levels by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 6 months).	Assess LDL-cholesterol levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. LDL-Cholesterol levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Effect of diets on blood glucose levels by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 3 months).	Assess blood glucose levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. Blood glucose levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	3 months
Effect of diets on blood glucose levels by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 6 months).	Assess blood glucose levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. Blood glucose levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	6 months
Effect of diets on insulin levels by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 3 months).	Assess insulin levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. Insulin levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas e801). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	3 months
Effect of diets on insulin levels by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 6 months).	Assess insulin levels collecting blood samples in a fasting state. Insulin levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas e801). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	6 months
Effect of diets on hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 3 months).	Assess HbA1c collecting blood samples in a fasting state. HbA1c levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (COBAS c513) and reported in percentage. Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	3 months
Effect of diets on hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 6 months).	Assess HbA1c collecting blood samples in a fasting state. HbA1c levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (COBAS c513) and reported in percentage. Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	6 months
Effect of diets on ApoB100 levels by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 3 months).	Assess ApoB100 collecting blood samples in a fasting state. ApoB100 levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Siemens BNII Nephelometer). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	3 months
Effect of diets on ApoB100 levels by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 6 months).	Assess ApoB100 collecting blood samples in a fasting state. ApoB100 levels will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Siemens BNII Nephelometer). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	6 months
Effect of diets on inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP)) by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 3 months).	Assess levels of acute phase protein (CRP) collecting blood samples in a fasting state. CRP will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	3 months
Effect of diets on inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP)) by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention (i.e. control low fat diet and the 2 keto groups) and changes over time within each group (i.e. baseline vs. 6 months).	Assess levels of acute phase protein (CRP) collecting blood samples in a fasting state. CRP will be determined using commercially available equipment at a local laboratory (Roche Cobas c503). Measurements will be performed for between group comparison and within groups comparison to understand the effect of diets.	6 months
Effect of diets on immune function and Inflammation measured by blood Immune Markers by comparing groups at 3 months of intervention and changes over time within each group compared to baseline.	In the fasting state, immune cell subset and activation states will be determined by flow cytometry using whole blood to quantify various immune cell phenotypes. Immune cells will be stained for T cell (CD3, CD4+, CD8+, CD45RA+, CD45RO+), Treg (FOXP3+), B cell (CD20), macrophage (CD14), NK cell (CD56+) and activation markers (CD11b+, CD25+, CD28+, CD86+). The quantification of cytokine secretion by immune cells stimulated with mitogens (phytohemagglutinin (PHA, a T cell mitogen) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, an antigen-presenting cell stimulant)) is used to evaluate their effector function. Cytokines assessed in the supernatant include IL-1β (only for LPS), IL-2 (only for PHA), IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α for both mitogen.	3 months
Effect of diets on immune function and Inflammation measured by blood Immune Markers by comparing groups at 6 months of intervention and changes over time within each group compared to baseline.	In the fasting state, immune cell subset and activation states will be determined by flow cytometry using whole blood to quantify various immune cell phenotypes. Immune cells will be stained for T cell (CD3, CD4+, CD8+, CD45RA+, CD45RO+), Treg (FOXP3+), B cell (CD20), macrophage (CD14), NK cell (CD56+) and activation markers (CD11b+, CD25+, CD28+, CD86+). The quantification of cytokine secretion by immune cells stimulated with mitogens (phytohemagglutinin (PHA, a T cell mitogen) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, an antigen-presenting cell stimulant)) is used to evaluate their effector function. Cytokines assessed in the supernatant include IL-1β (only for LPS), IL-2 (only for PHA), IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α for both mitogen.	6 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Adherence to diet interventions using 24-hour dietary assessment tool	A validated online 24-recall questionnaire (ASA24) will be administered to participants to assess adherence to diets every month.	4 weeks
Change in fatty acid composition to confirm adherence to the diets at 3 months	Total lipids in plasma, RBCs and PBMCs membranes will be extracted using Folch ratio 4:1 (chloroform:methanol (2:1): KCl). Extracted lipids are then methylated to create fatty acid methyl esters which will be measured by automated gas chromatography using an agilent 7890/8890 GC with a 100m CP-Sil 88 fused capillary column for long chain fatty acids. Total phospholipids and lipid classes in PBMCs membrane will be quantified using thin-layer chromatography and identified using internal standards.	3 months
Change in fatty acid composition to confirm adherence to the diets at 6 months	Total lipids in plasma, RBCs and PBMCs membranes will be extracted using Folch ratio 4:1 (chloroform:methanol (2:1): KCl). Extracted lipids are then methylated to create fatty acid methyl esters which will be measured by automated gas chromatography using an agilent 7890/8890 GC with a 100m CP-Sil 88 fused capillary column for long chain fatty acids. Total phospholipids and lipid classes in PBMCs membrane will be quantified using thin-layer chromatography and identified using internal standards.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Alberta
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Catherine Chan, PhD, University of Alberta

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 18, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 8, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 27, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): January 12, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 6, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Nutrition Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Diabetes Mellitus; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Overweight; Obesity; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Prediabetic State
• Other Study ID Numbers: Pro00123687

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No