Abstract
Background: After being developed in the 1920s, the ketogenic diet fell into disuse, only to make a comeback at the end of the 20th century. In addition to its original use in the treatment of epilepsy, research on the ketogenic diet is now focusing on many other indications. Methods: Based on a systematic literature analysis according to the PRISMA guidelines, an overview of the current research on specific topics in the last five years (2019 to August 2024) was compiled. Results: A total of 290 trials were included. In total, 32 topics were analyzed, most of which were related to overweight and obesity, as well as exercise and epilepsy. The articles included 1981 authors from 47 countries, who published their results from intervention and observational studies in 153 journals. In total, 227 studies lasted less than six months, while 61 studies lasted more than six months. Conclusions: The results and the increasing amount of research underline the growing scientific attention and potential of the ketogenic diet to offer new therapeutic and individual preventive approaches. These trends indicate that the ketogenic diet remains an important international research topic.