205 -- The Effects of a Ketogenic Diet on Alcohol Consumption in a Mouse Model

Ketogenic diets are characterized by a reduction in carbohydrates and relative increase in the proportions of proteins and fats. Research on the ketogenic diet (KD) as a potential treatment option for many conditions such as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are currently being studied. Binge drinking, intermittent and heavy use of alcohol, is associated with increased problem and risk-taking behaviors, and is often a precursor of AUD. Therefore, a non-invasive diet-based therapeutic intervention to reduce binge drinking could be useful. In the present study, we aimed to investigate if introduction of KD will decrease alcohol consumption in mice. The hypothesis was that mice that are introduced to KD will drink less alcohol. The results indicated that KD did have an effect on alcohol consumption, as mice on the KD diet drank significantly less over time. We assessed the persistence of this beneficial effect by retesting subjects 3 weeks after all mice were returned to a regular chow diet. Results did not support a long-term effect of the KD diet. This suggests that KD may be an acute therapeutic treatment option to reduce binge drinking. Findings should now be replicated and conducted with larger sample sizes that can assess male and female differences.