Self-reported menses physiology is positively modulated by a well-formulated, energy-controlled ketogenic diet vs. low fat diet in women of reproductive age with overweight/obesity

Abstract

Weight loss can positively alter female physiology; however, whether dietary carbohydrate- or fat- restriction confer unique effects is less studied. Precisely designed, hypocaloric well-formulated ketogenic diets (KD; ~75% energy for weight maintenance) were compared to isocaloric/isonitrogenous low-fat diet (LFD) on self-reported menses in pre-menopausal overweight and obese women (mean ± SD: 34 ± 10 years, BMI: 32.3 ± 2.7 kg/m2). Women received a precisely-weighed and formulated KD with either twice-daily with ketone salts (KS; n = 6) or a flavor-matched placebo (PL; n = 7) daily for six-weeks. An age and BMI-matched cohort (n = 6) was later assigned to the LFD and underwent the same testing procedures as the KD. Self-reported menses fluctuations were assessed bi-weekly along with measures of body weight, body composition, and fasting serum clinical chemistries using repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc corrections. Both diets elicited clinically-significant weight-loss (Δ: -7.0 ± 0.5 kg; p < 0.001), primarily from fat-mass (Δ: -4.6 ± 0.3 kg; p < 0.001), and improved insulin-sensitivity and serum lipids (all p < 0.05). Fasting plasma glucose and inflammatory markers were not different between diets. Fasting capillary beta-hydroxybutyrate (R-βHB) increased significantly during the KD, independent of supplementation (Δ: 1.2 ± 0.3 mM R-βHB; p < 0.001). Women randomized to the KD+KS (30%) and KD+PL (43%) reported subjective increases in menses frequency and intensity after 14 days, whereas another third reported a regain of menses (>1 year since the last period) after 28 days. No LFD participants reported menses changes. Nutrient-dense, whole-food KDs and LFD improved weight, BMI, body composition, and blood parameters in pre-menopausal women after six-weeks. Changes in self-reported menses were described by most of the KD participants, but none of the LFD women suggesting there may be unique effects of nutritional ketosis, independent of weight loss.