Ketogenic Diet 101: A Complete Scientific Guide to Keto.
For Treating Children With Epilepsy, Turns Out To Be The Fastest & Safest, Way To Lose Weight.
One enduring buzzword to hit the diet world seems to be “keto” — referring to the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet. With claims that you can eat all the fat you want, never feel hungry again, and even boost your athletic performance, the diet promises something for everyone.
But what exactly is the ketogenic diet, and is the weight loss program right for you? Let’s take a closer look before you attempt to make over your eating habits and lifestyle.
What Is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is based on the principle that by depleting the body of carbohydrates, which are its primary source of energy, you can force the body to burn fat for fuel, thereby maximizing weight loss. When you consume foods that contain carbohydrates, the body converts those carbohydrates into glucose, or blood sugar, which it then uses for energy.right up arrow.
Because glucose is the simplest form of energy for the body to use, it’s always used for energy before your body turns to stored fat for fuel.right up arrow.
On a ketogenic diet, the goal is to restrict carbohydrate intake so that the body must break down fat for energy. When this occurs, fat is broken down in the liver, producing ketones, which are by-products of your metabolism. These ketones are then used to fuel the body in the absence of.
How to Follow the Ketogenic Diet
There are several types of keto, but essentially, to achieve a state of ketosis, you have to severely reduce the amount of carbs you eat. (You can use a ketogenic calculator to create a custom food plan.) Data suggest the average American man age 20 or older consumes 46.4 percent of his daily calories from carbs, and the average American woman older than 20 consumes 48.
2 percent of her daily calories from carbs.right up arrow But in the classic ketogenic diet, which was originally used to manage seizure disorders, 80 to 90 percent of calories come from fat, 5 to 15 percent come from protein, and 5 to 10 percent come from carbohydrates.
A modified version of the ketogenic diet, which allows you to eat protein more liberally — at 20 to 30 percent of your total calories — with the same carbohydrate restriction, is the more commonly used version of the diet today. Some of the aims of the latest version of the ketogenic diet are weight loss, weight management, and improved athletic performance.
What Is Ketosis?
The ketogenic diet for weight loss is based on the idea that driving the body into ketosis will maximize fat loss. Ketosis is a normal metabolic process that occurs when the body does not have enough glucose stores for energy. When these stores are depleted, the body resorts to burning stored fat for energy instead of carbs. This process produces acids called ketones, which build up in the body and can be used for energy.right up arrow.
How Do You Know if You’re in Ketosis?
To figure out whether you’re in a state of ketosis, check your urine for ketones. You can purchase ketone strips online or from a retail pharmacy. A strip that tests positive for ketones will indicate you have reached a state of ketosis.right up arrow.
Many people associate elevated ketones with a diabetic medical emergency known as ketoacidosis, but nutritional ketosis associated with a ketogenic diet and diabetic ketoacidosis are very different conditions.
Ketosis vs. Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
For people with diabetes, rapidly rising ketone levels can signal a health crisis that requires immediate medical attention. When there is an absence or not enough of the hormone insulin (or the body is too resistant to insulin to allow it to drive glucose into the cells for energy), the body cannot use glucose for fuel. Insulin helps ferry glucose to our cells and muscles for energy. Instead, in this case, the body resorts to burning stored fat for energy through the process of ketosis, leading.
to a buildup of ketones in the body.
As ketones accumulate in the bloodstream of a person with diabetes, they cause the blood to become more acidic, which can lead to the condition known as ketoacidosis. This condition can be fatal and should be treated immediately, as an article published in May 2021 in Endotext points out.right up arrow.
Potential Health Benefits and Risks of the Keto Diet
If you search online for the term “keto diet,” you'll find a lot of health claims associated with the ketogenic diet. But before you give this approach a try, it’s important to know what the science suggests about how it may affect your health. Namely, you'll want to know about potential keto diet dangers.
Risk: You May Suffer Fatigue and Other Symptoms as a Result of the Keto Flu
One of the most common side effects of starting the ketogenic diet is “keto flu.” This term describes the often unpleasant, fatigue-inducing symptoms that occur as the body adjusts from a high-carbohydrate to a low-carbohydrate diet. During keto flu, the body’s stored glucose begins depleting, and the body starts adapting to producing and utilizing ketones as energy.right up arrow.
Symptoms of the keto flu include headache, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, heart palpitations, cramps, and diarrhea. These side effects usually diminish and resolve in about two weeks.right up arrow But to lessen the effects of any discomfort, simply consider slowly.
transitioning onto a ketogenic diet rather than rushing to change your eating habits. By gradually lowering your carbohydrate intake and gradually increasing your intake of dietary fat, you can transition with less negative impact and potentially prevent the keto flu altogether.
Risk: You May Experience Constipation if You Don’t Eat Enough Fruits and Veggies
The removal of many grains and fruits with such a large emphasis on fats can bring about its own set of gastrointestinal side effects. Keto constipation and diarrhea aren't uncommon. “If not done properly — with most of your carbohydrates coming from fiber-rich vegetables — you may not be getting enough fiber, which can lead to constipation,” says Chris Mohr, RD, PhD, a sports dietitian based in Louisville, Kentucky, and the co-owner of MohrResults.com.right up arrow.
Risk: You Could Develop Dangerous Nutrient Deficiencies
Eliminating food groups can be problematic. “Ketogenic diets are often low in calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and folic acid, which over time can lead to nutrient deficiencies if the diet is not planned carefully,” adds Marie Spano, RD, a sports performance nutritionist in Atlanta.
Risk: You May Harm Your Heart With the Diet’s Emphasis on Animal Fat and Protein
Reliance on a diet rich in animal fats and proteins may also have a negative impact on heart health, research shows.right up arrow “This diet is not for anyone who is at risk of developing cardiovascular disease or who has already been diagnosed with it,” Spano cautions.
This means that if you have risk factors for heart disease — such as elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), or a strong family history of the disease — you should use caution when following this diet.
The diet's heavy reliance on fat, especially saturated fat, can raise cholesterol levels, further increasing your chances of developing heart disease in the future.right up arrow A 2019 position statement from the National Lipid Association Nutrition and Lifestyle Task Force noted that research has found low-carb and very low carb plans (which keto fits into) have mixed effects on blood cholesterol levels, with some studies finding that these diets raise cholesterol.right up arrow.
Risk: You May Experience Dangerous Low Blood Sugar if You Have Diabetes
For any individual with diabetes, discussing dietary changes — especially those as dramatic as the ones the ketogenic diet requires — with your healthcare team is essential. Because carbohydrates are broken down into glucose in the blood, cutting carbohydrates from your diet could cause levels to crash rapidly depending on your current medication regimen. Such a change may require significant adjustments to medication and insulin to prevent dangerous side effects such as low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia.right up arrow.
Risk: You May Experience Weight Cycling and Negative Effects on Your Metabolism
Outside of physical health changes, one of the biggest concerns of the ketogenic diet may be in long-term adherence. “It’s a very difficult diet to stick to and maintain. Compliance is a challenge because it is so restrictive,” explains Dr. Mohr.
Following a strict diet for weight loss and then quickly reverting to old habits when the dietary changes are too restrictive can lead to what is known as weight cycling, or yo-yo dieting. Gaining and losing the same weight over and over is associated with poorer cardiovascular health, especially among premenopausal women, according to a study in Preventive Medicine Reports published in December 2019.right up arrow.
Benefit: You May See Improvements in Your Athletic Performance
For athletes, research on the keto diet highlights potential improvements in athletic performance, especially when it comes to endurance activities.
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