Keto may help you lose weight quickly, but in the long run, it's awful for your heart health, a new study of the trendy diet has found.

Likewise, intermittent fasting lets people lose weight, but while they are in their "on" cycle, the health benefits depend primarily on what people consume. The study finds that both diets tend to function largely because of calorie restriction, as opposed to actual ketosis.

Dr. Andrew Freeman, Director of Cardiovascular Prevention and Wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, the doctor who published the study, advises that people should consume a diet high in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts and seeds to lose weight and hold it off when consuming a heart-healthy diet.

Researchers reported in a study of clinical research on ketogenic and intermittent fasting diets that while these diets operate to help people reduce weight in the short term, which can potentially lead to cardiovascular health, diets often facilitate the intake of foods rich in saturated fat that is believed to increase the long-term cardiovascular risk. The doctors agreed that these diets are unlikely to be as successful as the well-established dietary recommendations already prescribed by health authorities to avoid heart problems over a lifetime.

Keto is a very low dietary approach to carbohydrates that takes the body into ketosis, a metabolic process in which it decreases access to glucose and is mostly driven by fat instead. While the restricted keto diet research indicates that those who adopt it initially lose weight, according to 12-month results, it appears not to be permanent. If the weight loss is caused by the accomplishment of ketosis or merely by the reduction of calories is still uncertain.

Researchers also have questions over the form and quantities of fat ingested by people who adopt a keto diet. Although current experiments have narrowly regulated the form of fat and diet eaten by patients, many people choose to use keto eat large concentrations of unhealthy saturated fat, which is correlated with an elevated risk of heart failure and elevated blood lipid levels. There is also evidence that following a keto diet for a prolonged period of time may contribute to arterial stiffening, and some studies have shown that there is a higher risk of mortality for those consuming a keto diet.

As a possible cure for diabetes, keto diets show promise, with tests finding improved glucose levels as well as reduced fasting glucose and insulin levels in mice given a keto diet. In order to validate these benefits and evaluate risk, more study is required before keto is appropriately approved for patients with diabetes.