Objective To analyze the literature related to ketogenic diet based on the Web of Science (WOS) database and clarify the research hotspots and trends in this field.

Methods The literature related to ketogenic diet was retrieved from the core database of WOS from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2022. Bibliometric methods and CiteSpace software were applied to statistically analyze the literature characteristics, including countries, regions, research institutions, publishing journals, and keywords.

Results A total of 4, 548 valid articles were retrieved in this study, including 3, 317 original articles and 1, 231 reviews. The number of publications in the field of ketogenic diet research showed an overall increasing trend from 2013 to 2022, reaching the peak in 2021(756 articles). The annual citation frequency also exhibited a yearly increasing trend, reaching a peak of 25, 643 citations in 2022. The country with the highest number of publications was the United States (1, 695 articles, accounting for 37.27%), and the research institution with the most articles was Johns Hopkins University (88 articles, accounting for 1.93%). The majority of research institutions were universities. Nutrients journal had the highest number of published articles (241 articles, accounting for 5.30%), while Epilepsia journal had the highest average citation frequency per article (33.19 citations). Among the top 10 most cited articles, five focused on the metabolism and mechanism of action of ketone bodies in disease treatment, and four were related to epilepsy research. The research hotspots included the application and efficacy evaluation of ketogenic diet in the treatment of epilepsy and obesity, common regulatory mechanisms such as fatty acid oxidation, metabolism, oxidative stress, and Warburg effect of ketone bodies, and the role of gut microbiota in mediating the effects of ketogenic diet. The research trend pointed towards the application prospects of ketogenic diet in heart failure.

Conclusion Ketogenic diet has been applied in the treatment of various diseases, and its global attention continues to grow. Future research hotspots should focus on clinical trials to verify its clinical efficacy and tolerability.