Re-Spin
- Halle Berry told Insider she's followed the keto diet for 30 years and it's helped her manage her diabetes.
- The actor was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 22.
- The keto diet is not necessarily right for all people with the condition, research suggests.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Halle Berry has followed the keto diet for 30 years, and told Insider it helps her manage her diabetes.
Berry, now 54, was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 22, which kicked off her health journey.
"It was a moment I'll never forget," she said told Insider. "I had to re-spin the way I lived my life and have carried that with me ever since."
For Berry, that means following the high-fat, low-carb keto diet.
"Because I'm diabetic, nutrition has been a big part of my life," she said. "For the past almost 30 years I have been following the ketogenic lifestyle."
Berry says the keto diet gives her stamina, cuts her cravings - and she believes it's slowed her aging process
In 2018, Berry wrote on Instagram that she believes the keto diet has been "largely responsible for slowing down my aging process" and helped her lose weight after childbirth.
"If you're like me, you can possibly reverse type 2 diabetes, you'll experience better physical endurance, better skin and also less acne if that's an issue. And it even helps control migraines!" she said.
In 2019, the actor's personal trainer shared the actor's daily diet and favorite dishes, including bulletproof coffee (coffee with butter or coconut oil), steak or chicken with greens, and avocado ice cream.
Having been keto for so long, Berry told Women's Health she doesn't crave sweets any more, and feels "incredible" on the diet.
Mixed research on how well keto works for diabetes
Berry's diabetes diagnosis was the inspiration behind her health and wellness platform rē•spin: "rē•spin is very much about rethinking everything you thought you knew and daring to break down barriers and come up with what your life should be for yourself, regardless of what others think, and living that proudly and authentically," she told Insider.
There has been confusion over the years about whether Berry's diabetes is Type 1 or 2, as Healthline reported, but some of her comments - such as that she "reversed" her Type 1 by changing her diet - have been heavily criticized by medical professionals.
While Berry's comments on diabetes and keto have drawn some criticism in the past, there is some research to suggest the diet can provide benefits for people with the condition.
A small 2005 study, for example, found that a keto diet could lead to improved glycemic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
However, more recent research, such as this 2019 report by the Diabetes Research Institute in Milan, concluded that low-carb diets such as keto may not be right for all people with diabetes, particularly those with Type 1, and researchers noted that the lack of sustainability of such diets is also an issue.