{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T17:19:56Z","timestamp":1789838396780,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,16]],"date-time":"2023-03-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1678924800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003286","name":"Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RA-AM 2016 007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RA-AM 2016 007"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003286","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Both obesity and a poor diet are considered major risk factors for triggering insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Owing to the impact of low-carbohydrate diets, such as the keto diet and the Atkins diet, on weight loss in individuals with obesity, these diets have become an effective strategy for a healthy lifestyle. However, the impact of the ketogenic diet on IRS in healthy individuals of a normal weight has been less well researched. This study presents a cross-sectional observational study that aimed to investigate the effect of low carbohydrate intake in healthy individuals of a normal weight with regard to glucose homeostasis, inflammatory, and metabolic parameters.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The study included 120 participants who were healthy, had a normal weight (BMI 25 kg\/m<jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>), and had no history of a major medical condition. Self-reported dietary intake and objective physical activity measured by accelerometry were tracked for 7 days. The participants were divided into three groups according to their dietary intake of carbohydrates: the low-carbohydrate (LC) group (those consuming &amp;lt;45% of their daily energy intake from carbohydrates), the recommended range of carbohydrate (RC) group (those consuming 45\u201365% of their daily energy intake from carbohydrates), and the high-carbohydrate (HC) group (those consuming more than 65% of their daily energy intake from carbohydrates). Blood samples were collected for the analysis of metabolic markers. HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and HOMA of \u03b2-cell function (HOMA-\u03b2), as well as C-peptide levels, were used for the evaluation of glucose homeostasis.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Low carbohydrate intake (&amp;lt;45% of total energy) was found to significantly correlate with dysregulated glucose homeostasis as measured by elevations in HOMA-IR, HOMA-\u03b2% assessment, and C-peptide levels. Low carbohydrate intake was also found to be coupled with lower serum bicarbonate and serum albumin levels, with an increased anion gap indicating metabolic acidosis. The elevation in C-peptide under low carbohydrate intake was found to be positively correlated with the secretion of IRS-related inflammatory markers, including FGF2, IP-10, IL-6, IL-17A, and MDC, but negatively correlated with IL-3.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Overall, the findings of the study showed that, for the first time, low-carbohydrate intake in healthy individuals of a normal weight might lead to dysfunctional glucose homeostasis, increased metabolic acidosis, and the possibility of triggering inflammation by C-peptide elevation in plasma.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1115333","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,16]],"date-time":"2023-03-16T07:15:37Z","timestamp":1678950937000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Low carbohydrate intake correlates with trends of insulin resistance and metabolic acidosis in healthy lean individuals"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Fatema","family":"Al-Reshed","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sardar","family":"Sindhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashraf","family":"Al Madhoun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatemah","family":"Bahman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Halemah","family":"AlSaeed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nadeem","family":"Akhter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Md. 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