Case Report: Ketogenic Diet Is Associated With Improvements in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a debilitating inflammatory respiratory condition that presents with worsening breathing difficulties and it is assumed to be progressive and incurable. As an inflammatory disease, COPD is associated with recruitment of immune cells to lung tissue and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and GM-CSF. Low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets have anti-inflammatory properties that could, in theory, improve COPD symptoms and progression. Herein, we report on a 54-year-old patient (C.A.) with COPD who adopted a ketogenic diet (70% calories from fat). Subsequently, C.A. experienced a reduction in inflammatory markers in association with a meaningful improvement in lung function. His inflammatory markers decreased into the normal range and his forced expiratory volume increased by 37.5% relative to its pre-ketogenic diet value. Future research should explore nutritional ketosis and ketogenic diets as possible therapeutic options for individuals with COPD.

Dietary Protection Against the Visual and Motor Deficits Induced by Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

“…IL-6 is detectable in brain lesions (103) and in the CSF from people with MS (104) and plays critical roles in MS and EAE pathophysiology that include compromising blood-brain barrier integrity in combination with IL-17A (105), cooperating with transforming growth factor-b to drive the differentiation and expansion of auto-reactive TH17 cells (106)(107)(108)(109), and damaging myelin (102). Reduced circulating IL-6 by a KD has been reported (e.g., (110)(111)(112)(113)(114)(115)(116)) although studies in select populations (e.g., (117,118) and some mouse models have also reported that a KD may not change or may even increase levels of this cytokine (e.g., (119)). Reduced levels of IL-6 in the serum of KD-fed EAE mice are consistent with this dietary approach blunting CNS disease burden and maintaining motor and visual functions.…”

Ketogenic nutritional therapy (KeNuT)—a multi-step dietary model with meal replacements for the management of obesity and its related metabolic disorders: a consensus statement from the working group of the Club of the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE)—diet therapies in endocrinology and metabolism

“…Despite other dietary interventions can also reduce systemic inflammation, a more relevant effect was observed in patients treated with VLCKD, thus suggesting an additional weight loss-independent anti-inflammatory effect, probably induced by ketone bodies production [59,61,62]. Considering the role of inflammation and of the innate immune system in the development of lung diseases during obesity [63,64], it is not surprising that ketogenic diet can improve OSAS [45], COPD [65], and asthma [44]. The rapid and significant loss of adiposity, which occurs mainly at the abdominal visceral compartments as previously described, reduces the mechanical obstruction of the lung that occurs in patients with android obesity.…”