BITESIZE: Lipidologist Questions the New Keto and Liver Disease Study

BITESIZE: Lipidologist Questions the New Keto and Liver Disease Study

July 16, 2026 · 8 min

About this episode

Dr. Bret Scher analyzes a recent study claiming that a ketogenic diet may worsen fatty liver disease, highlighting methodological flaws and the importance of quality evidence.

A recent study made headlines for claiming a ketogenic diet may worsen fatty liver disease and raise triglycerides. But when you take a closer look at the research, it’s clear that the conclusions are far less supported than the coverage suggests. To clear things up, Dr. Bret Scher breaks down what the study actually found, where the methodology falls short, and what the broader body of research has to say about ketogenic therapy and liver health. In this discussion, you'll learn: What the study examined and how the data was collected Why the lack of ketone measurement makes it impossible to confirm anyone was actually in ketosis How reverse causality may explain the findings entirely What baseline differences in BMI and adiposity reveal about the study population Why cross-sectional observational studies sit lower on the evidence hierarchy than RCTs What a meta-analysis of 62 randomized controlled trials shows about ketogenic diets and triglycerides What a 12-week supervised intervention revealed about ketogenic therapy and fatty liver reduction Why higher-quality controlled trial evidence should take precedence over headline-grabbing observational studies For clinicians…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Bret Scher

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Metabolic Mind

More episodes of Metabolic Mind

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Metabolic Mind podcast page.