Knowledge and Perception about Ketogenic Diet among Medical Students

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Ketogenic diet has gained lotre cognition nowadays through its various health implications; it is extensively used for weight reduction besides its therapeutic use in other diseases.The diet constitutes high-fat, low-carbohydrates that utilize fats for metabolism. The objective of the study was to determine the Knowledge and Perception about ketogenic diet, its therapeutic uses, side effects and benefits among medical students of Fatima Memorial College. Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted at Fatima Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore. The duration of study was 6 months from July 2019 to December 2019. A total of 250 students of MBBS were interviewed after taking informed consent through a structured questionnaire and data was analyzed statistically. Results: A total of 250 participants were interviewed. Among all 183 (73.2%) of the participants heard about ketogenic diet, and 52 (20.8%) knew the difference between could differentiate ketogenic diet and fasting. Most of the participants 102 (40.8%) were aware about its high fat and low carbohydrate content. Out of 250 participants, 191 (76.4%) and 147 (58.8%) agreed weight loss and cardiovascular disease the main therapeutic aim for taking this diet however, 144 (57.6%) had a perception that elderly cannot take this diet. Most of the participants 146 (58.4%) and 139 (55.6%) considered hair fall and acidosis as main adverse effects of the diet to the human body respectively. Conclusion: The study shows that medical students had compelling knowledge about ketogenic diet’s therapeutic uses, side effects and benefits on the body. Weight loss was observed as the most important factor for choosing it. Pre-diet counseling came out to be valuable as a guide towards people thinking for adopting this diet.