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ketogenic diet

American  
[kee-toh-jen-ik dahy-it] / ˌki toʊˈdʒɛn ɪk ˈdaɪ ɪt /

noun

  • ketogenic diets
    plural
  1. a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that causes the breakdown of fats into ketone bodies, which consequently replace carbohydrates as the body’s main source of energy: used as a regimen for weight loss, the ketogenic diet is also used to control certain medical disorders or episodes, especially epileptic seizures in children.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of ketogenic diet

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A ketogenic diet can include foods rich in saturated fat, including animal products.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

Participants were randomly assigned to follow a ketogenic diet, a Mediterranean diet, or a low-fat, plant-forward diet.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

The secretary also recently declared that the ketogenic diet can cure schizophrenia, a fringe idea that has been rejected by every expert in the field.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026

Compared with mice eating a high-fat Western diet, those on the ketogenic diet gained significantly less weight.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026

The animals were assigned to one of four diets: a high-fat Western diet, a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet, a traditional ketogenic diet where nearly all calories came from fat, and a protein-matched low-fat diet.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026

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