Does a Ketogenic Diet protect against viral infections ?

Does a Ketogenic diet protect against viral infections?

There is no specific evidence that nutritional ketosis will help specifically protect against COVID-19. It’s too new of a virus to have done the research on COVID-19.

HOWEVER, there is evidence that a ketogenic diet can improve immune system function against other viruses.

Animal studies published in Science Immunology reported that the ketogenic diet (versus a carbohydrate based diet) stimulated γδ T cells to enhance antiviral resistance and protection of lung barrier function.

Quoted directly from the Science Immunology Journal’s Study Abstract…

“Influenza A virus infection–associated morbidity and mortality are a key global health care concern, necessitating the identification of new therapies capable of reducing the severity of Influenza A virus infections.

In this study, we show that the consumption of a low carbohydrate, high fat ketogenic diet protects mice from lethal Influenza A virus infection and disease. The ketogenic diet feeding resulted in an expansion of γδ T cells in the lung that improved (lung) barrier functions, thereby enhancing antiviral resistance.

Expansion of these protective γδ T cells required metabolic adaptation to a ketogenic diet because neither feeding mice a high fat, high carbohydrate diet nor providing chemical ketone body substrate that bypasses hepatic ketogenesis protected against infection.

Therefore, ketogenic diet mediated immune-metabolic integration represents a viable avenue toward preventing or alleviating influenza disease.”

Ketogenic Diets Have Many Possible Benefits.

Keto diets are most commonly used for weight loss. There are many other uses though ranging from neurological disorders to autoimmunity, reducing inflammation, and even improving immune responses as seen here.

In animal studies, a ketogenic diet protected against respiratory infections from influenza A (the flu). This is a different virus than the coronavirus, COVID-19. It is interesting though and certainly should be studied specifically to see if a keto diet could also be protective with this new respiratory infection we’re facing today.

Reference:
Ketogenic diet activates protective γδ T cell responses against influenza virus infection. Emily L. Goldberg et al, Science Immunology 15 Nov 2019: Vol. 4, Issue 41, eaav2026; DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aav2026

https://immunology.sciencemag.org/content/4/41/eaav2026.long