Ketogenic diets have received a lot of attention in the media lately. While these diets have been used for close to 100 years, mainly to treat epilepsy in children, they have recently seen a resurgence in popularity as people look to ketogenic diets for weight loss.

Ketogenic diets severely restrict carbohydrate intake, resulting in a lack of circulating blood glucose from food. In the absence of glucose, the body releases ketones into the bloodstream and starts breaking down stored fat as a source of energy.

Since they lack carbohydrates, ketogenic diets are very high in fat and have a moderate protein content. Some studies have demonstrated improved blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes who follow ketogenic diets. However, other studies have shown some increases in cholesterol levels among people on ketogenic diets.

Slowly digested carbohydrate foods elicit lower postprandial glucose and insulin responses than foods with more readily digestible dietary carbohydrate. Because of the health benefits of lower postprandial glycemic response, they are often desired by consumers.

New research from GI Labs sought to determine the postprandial glucose and insulin responses after consumption of a savory cluster snack containing nuts, whole grains and soluble fiber, produced using a novel process that controlled moisture and temperature in order to reduce the rate of carbohydrate digestion.

“With our strong commitment to understanding our clients’ needs, we are able to create protocols specific to our clients’ desired research objectives, such as demonstrating that certain foods are suitable for ketogenic diets,”

Dr. Alexandra Jenkins, Director of Research.