Ketogenic Diet Plus Dulaglutide Enhances Metabolic Control in Diabetes: Study Shows
China: A new study from China suggests that integrating a ketogenic diet with dulaglutide therapy may offer superior improvements in glucose and lipid control for patients with type 2 diabetes compared to medication alone. The findings, published in the Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, were reported by Rui Gao and colleagues from the Department of Outpatient Services at the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University.
Type 2 diabetes continues to rise globally, and while medications like dulaglutide—a GLP-1 receptor agonist—are widely used, drug therapy alone often yields modest metabolic improvements. With dietary interventions gaining attention for their metabolic effects, the researchers set out to evaluate whether a ketogenic diet (KD) could enhance therapeutic outcomes when paired with dulaglutide (DU).
The team enrolled 104 adults with type 2 diabetes and randomly assigned them to two groups: one receiving dulaglutide alone (control group) and the other receiving dulaglutide along with a ketogenic diet (study group). After the treatment period, clear differences emerged between the two groups.
The study led to the following notable findings:
- Patients receiving the combination of a ketogenic diet and dulaglutide showed significantly lower blood glucose and lipid levels compared with those treated with dulaglutide alone, indicating stronger metabolic improvements.
- Insulin-related outcomes also improved in the combined-therapy group, with reduced insulin resistance and enhanced insulin sensitivity, both of which reached statistical significance.
- At the six-month follow-up, participants on the ketogenic diet plus dulaglutide reported better sleep quality, demonstrated by lower Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores.
- Overall quality of life was also higher in the combined-therapy group compared with those who received dulaglutide alone.
The authors noted that these enhancements in sleep and QOL likely stem from multiple contributing factors. While the metabolic impact of the ketogenic diet and dulaglutide is substantial, daily exercise—encouraged as part of the study protocol—may have played an additional role. The team emphasized the need for future research to better capture lifestyle-related confounders and measure adherence more rigorously.
Despite the promising findings, the study was not without limitations. The researchers highlighted that the short follow-up duration, relatively small sample size, single-center design, and lack of close adherence tracking limit the generalizability of the results. They stressed that longer, multicenter trials with larger participant groups are essential to determine the long-term safety, sustainability, and broader clinical benefits of combining a ketogenic diet with dulaglutide.
The current study provides encouraging early evidence. According to the authors, adopting a ketogenic dietary pattern alongside dulaglutide therapy may offer advantages for short-term glycemic control, lipid regulation, and insulin sensitivity—along with potential benefits for sleep and overall well-being. While more robust trials are needed, this combination approach may represent a meaningful step toward more comprehensive diabetes management strategies.
Reference:
Gao R, Yan L, Du X, He S, Xue L, Li T, Wei M, Gu Y. Effect of ketogenic diet plus dulaglutide on glucose and lipid metabolism in diabetes mellitus. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2025 Nov-Dec;38(6):2286-2291. doi: 10.36721/PJPS.2025.38.6.REG.13419.1. PMID: 41241797.
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