New York: Researchers writing in Frontiers in Science propose using simple tests to track metabolic health in non-communicable diseases, which cause three in four deaths worldwide.
The paper makes the case for using the glucose ketone index (GKI)—the ratio of glucose and ketones in blood taken from a finger prick.
The proposed test could indicate metabolic state, assess long-term nutritional adherence, and support the monitoring of strategies aimed at improving mitochondrial function, which is linked to many non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The commonest chronic NCDs—including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and neurodegeneration—are forecast to rise substantially worldwide by 2050 and overtake infectious diseases for health burden.
The authors argue that the GKI could help track whether diet, fasting, or exercise interventions shift the body toward nutritional ketosis—a metabolic state marked by lower glucose and higher ketone availability, which may be linked to lower NCD risk or improved management. However, the authors note that disease-specific target ranges must still be validated in future clinical studies.
Lead author Prof Thomas Seyfried, from Boston College, US, said: “Within the next few decades, NCDs could account for up to 75% of all disability-adjusted life-years, contributing to a substantial decline in life expectancy. These conditions are not the result of genetic fate but are largely shaped by lifestyle factors. This GKI-based metabolic roadmap outlines a proposed clinical pathway that could support the prevention and management of cancer and chronic disease.”
The authors say that ketogenic approaches should be considered as management strategies for chronic disease under specific circumstances rather than cures, and that any approach should be taken under clinical supervision.
