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The [[Ketogenic Diet]] may have benefits for a number of medical conditions, many of them serious or life threatening. The research for the use of the Ketogenic Diet in epilepsy is well established, but for other illnesses it is still emerging.{{Skeleton}}However, the Ketogenic Diet is believed to have a number of benefits, especially in cancer<ref name="Seyfried-2011"/> and neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's<ref name="Gasior-2006"/>.

The Ketogenic Diet may help with the treatment of cancer, including brain tumors<ref name="Seyfried-2011"/>. Currently most of the available research is based on animal studies, with just a few human case studies. However, the research to date looks promising.

AD is a degenerative neurological condition characterized by memory loss and there is currently no treatment. Models of Alzheimer's disease (and Parkinson's) suggest that 4 mmol/L of BOHB can protect neurons and may play a therapeutic role<ref name="Kashiwaya-2000"/>. There is some evidence that a ketogenic diet may not only improve the symptoms of AD<ref name="KrikorianShidler2012"/>, but may also modify the disease activity itself. The These benefits of the ketogenic diet may also have benefits for apply to other neurological conditions involving neuron death. There is evidence that raising Ketone levels through MCT supplementation without carbohydrate restriction may also improve memory function in AD sufferers<ref name="RegerHenderson2004"/>. In a study of 152 subjects with mild to moderate AD, half were given an [[MCT]] based treatment over a period of 90 days and had significantly improved cognitive scores compared with the placebo control group<ref name="HendersonVogel2009"/>. A drug called Axona was introduced in 2009 as an FDA approved "medical food" and it consists of a an MCT oil (caprylic acid). There is also some evidence that a higher carbohydrate intake is associated with poorer memory, and increased aberrant motor behavior in subjects with probable AD<ref name="Young-2005"/>.

Parkinson's disease appears to generally result from an acquired defect in the mitochondria rather than genetic causes<ref name="Veech-2000"/>. Animal studies and anecdotal reports suggest that the ketogenic diet may reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but there are no published human studies. It is possible to treat Parkinson's disease for a time with dopamine , but free radical damage lessens the effectiveness of this therapy over time<ref name="Vanitallie-2005"/>. Models of Parkinson's disease (and Alzheimer's) suggest that 4 mmol/L of BOHB can protect neurons and may play a therapeutic role<ref name="Kashiwaya-2000"/>. A 28 day study of five Parkinson's patients on the Ketogenic Diet with blood BOHB levels averaging 6.6 mmol/L (range 4.8 to 8.9) had an average decrease in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores of 43.4% (range 21% to 81%), but the study had too few subjects and no controls, so conclusions could be drawn about effectiveness<ref name="Vanitallie-2005"/>.