Effect of Long-term Ketogenic Diet on Serum Alanine Transaminase Levels in Mice (Mus musculus)

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide over the years. One of the non-pharmacological therapy which is believed to be promote weight loss is ketogenic diet. Nevertheless, the long-term effects which may be caused by this diet are still debating, especially in the liver. This study aimed to determine the effect of long-term ketogenic diet (8 weeks) on serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels. Twelve male mice were divided into basal diet (BD) and ketogenic diet (KD) group and given intervention for eight weeks adlibitum. Body weight was weighed in pre and post-intervention, while ALT levels were measured only once after eight weeks of intervention. As a result, pre-intervention body weight in the BD group was 25.170 ± 2.858 g and KD group was 27.170 ± 1.329 g (P =0.151). In the post-intervention, body weight in BD and KD group were 44.500 ± 5.244 g and 31.830 ± 5.707 g, respectively (P =0.003). BD group showed a significant difference between pre-and post-intervention body weight (P <0.0001); however, it was not significant in the KD group (P =0.096). After eight weeks, serum ALT levels in BD-fed mice were 90.672 ± 20.786 U/L and in KD-fed mice showed 117.037 ± 19.261 U/L (P =0.046). In conclusion, KD elevated serum ALT levels and attenuated weight gain after 8-week KD supplementation. Keywords: Alanine transaminase, Ketogenic diet, Liver, Mice, Obesity