Investigating the Ketogenic Diet’s Potential Benefits for Lipedema

Living Well with Lipedema

I first connected with Leslyn at the National Institutes of Health’s inaugural international symposium on the lymphatic system, where she presented her research showing that a ketogenic diet could benefit individuals with obesity and lymphedema-related chronic conditions. This sparked a conversation on whether keto might also help with lipedema, given the scarcity of lipedema-specific research. While Leslyn completed her research, I was in Germany working on a lipedema-focused book. When we reconnected, we began exploring keto’s potential for managing lipedema.

Initially, we were advised to gather more foundational data before launching a clinical trial. As we collected anecdotal reports from women who experienced pain relief, reduced swelling, and weight loss through a ketogenic approach, we sought to validate these observations. Under the guidance of epidemiologist Monika Wahi and a dedicated team, we synthesized existing research into a hypothesis paper. This paper examines common lipedema symptoms—such as disproportionate fat accumulation, pain, edema, metabolic and hormonal imbalances, inflammation, and fibrosis—and proposes how a ketogenic diet may address each of these challenges, differing from conventional weight-loss diets.

Reference:

Keith L., Seo C.A., Rowsemitt C., Pfeffer M., Wahi M., Staggs M., Dudek J., Gower B., Carmody M. Ketogenic Diet as a Potential Intervention for Lipedema. Medical Hypotheses, 2020, 110435 (ISSN 0306-9877)

Link to the article