Effects of the Ketogenic Diet on Strength Performance in Trained Men and Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Nutrients. 2024 Jul 10;16(14):2200. doi: 10.3390/nu16142200.

Abstract

Ketogenic diets (KDs) are an alternative to improve strength performance and body composition in resistance training participants. The objective of this review and meta-analysis is to verify whether a ketogenic diet produces an increase in the strength of resistance-trained participants. We have evaluated the effect of the ketogenic diet in conjunction with resistance training on the strength levels in trained participants. Boolean algorithms from various databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were used. Meta-analyses were carried out, one on the 1-RM squat (SQ), with 106 trained participants or athletes, and another on the 1-RM on the bench press (BP), evaluating 119 participants. We did not find significant differences between the groups in the variables of SQ or BP, although the size of the effect was slightly higher in the ketogenic group. Conclusions: KDs do not appear to impair 1-RM performance; however, this test does not appear to be the most optimal tool for assessing hypertrophy-based strength session performance in resistance-trained participants.

Keywords: carbohydrate restriction; ketosis; performance; repetition maximum; resistance-training; strength parameters.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review
  • Meta-Analysis
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Athletes
  • Athletic Performance / physiology
  • Body Composition
  • Diet, Ketogenic*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Muscle Strength* / physiology
  • Resistance Training*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the University of Málaga (Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech). MM was supported by the Miguel Servet II program (CPII22/00013) from the ISCIII (Spain), Nicolas Monardes Program from Consejería de Salud de Andalucía (Spain) (C1-0002-2022), and the projects “PI19/00507”, “PI23/00293” by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), and co-funded by the European Union. UMA18-FEDERJA-285 was co-funded by Junta de Andalucía and FEDER funds, PY20-00447 and PI-0297-2018 were co-funded by FEDER funds and Junta de Andalucía, Spain. JBP was sopported by EQC2019-005901-P from Ministry of Science and Innovation, and PI19/00507 by ISCIII and both co-funded by FEDER funds.