By Maria Duodu Student Pharmacist and Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist
ONU Healthwise Pharmacy

Forky is a Disney-Pixar character created from a plastic spork and appears in Toy Story 4. Forky has googly eyes and pipe cleaners for arms. Forky has a series of short films created by Ohio Northern University alumnus Bob Peterson. Bob wrote, directed and narrated the series titled Forky Asks A Question. These questions include what is art, what is money, what is a friend and what is time.

Our question is if there is evidence for a diet improving health outcomes related to the heart?

What if changing your eating habits can help lower your blood pressure, shed extra weight and reduce the need for medications? A recent study suggests a unique diet approach called the Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD) can achieve these results.

A study published in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases evaluated 43 postmenopausal women who were overweight and had high blood pressure. The participants were divided into different dietary groups, but each person in the study was provided a one-on-one meeting with a dietician. The study followed the women for six months measuring blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol.

The participants were assigned to follow one of three eating plans: VLCKD, Intermittent Fasting (IFD), or a flexible Mediterranean-style plan called the Free Diet (FD).

VLCKD emphasizes high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and drastically limits carbohydrates to push the body into burning fat. Examples of food include protein shakes as meal replacements, vegetables and natural proteins such as meat, eggs and fish. The diet typically restricts daily calories at 800 per day with low carbohydrate intake at less than 50 grams per day. The daily protein intake is considered normal at 1 to 1.5 grams per every kilogram (1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds) of ideal body weight.

IFD involves eating only during an 8-hour window, fasting for the other 16 hours, and reducing overall calorie intake by 25%. The goal of allowing 16 hours without additional food is for the body to exhaust its sugar stores and start burning fat instead. There are different types of IFD programs.

FD includes general healthy eating advice based on a Mediterranean-style diet without strict restrictions. The Mediterranean diet includes more plant-based choices such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. The diet includes using healthy fats such as olive oil and limiting red meat by eating more poultry and fish. Dairy products are limited as well and moderate use of red wine can be part of the diet.

After six months of the study diets, the VLCKD group experienced the greatest changes. The group lost about 22 pounds of weight and lowered their blood pressure. As a bonus, the diet improved cholesterol levels. Additionally, some women were able to reduce or eliminate their blood pressure medications after the 6-month period.

Additional published studies on using the VLCKD for not only weight loss, but blood pressure control have shown similar positive results. One study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine used VLCKD as a nutritional approach to managing blood pressure without medications. A 2025 study evaluating women using the VLCKD for 1 month demonstrated a 7% reduction in weight and an 8.8% decrease in fat mass. The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

There are published meal plans on the web for anyone interested in the VLCKD plan.

This research makes one thing clear: with the right plan and steady support, what is on your plate can truly change your health. For those struggling with high blood pressure or weight, this study offers hope and a practical path forward.

If you are interested in more information, please contact ONU HealthWise Pharmacy at 419-722-3784.