CASE REPORT article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Clinical Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1623217
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegrating Ketogenic Diet with Physical Exercise: Implications for Athletes and Chronic ConditionsView all 4 articles
Targeting differential energy substrate metabolism on a therapeutic ketogenic diet: A case report
Provisionally accepted
Kasey J Russell1*
Sarah Schwartz2*- 1On medical leave, Cambridge, United States
- 2Suffolk University, Boston, United States
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Ketogenic diets show promise in treating a range of serious illnesses, yet their clinical utility is often hindered by poor adherence and difficulty achieving targeted ketone levels. Recommendations for patients pursuing ketogenic diets provide detailed dietary guidance but largely neglect the potential role of exercise on ketone levels. In a case study of a glioblastoma patient following a ketogenic diet, we present data suggesting that intensity of exercise may predict ketone levels above and beyond energy expended through exercise, and we propose a possible mechanism for this observed association. It is our hope that this case study will highlight the need for further research investigating how intense exercise in particular may influence ketone levels for patients on therapeutic ketogenic diets, potentially enabling patients to achieve higher ketone levels or allowing ketosis on more liberal diets.
Keywords: Ketogenic Diet, Glioblastoma, Exercise, case study, Metabolism
Received: 05 May 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Russell and Schwartz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Kasey J Russell, On medical leave, Cambridge, United States
Sarah Schwartz, Suffolk University, Boston, United States
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