Is The Ketogenic Diet For You?

Recently, people have been asking about a ketogenic diet. Is a ketogenic diet safe? Would you recommend it? Despite the recent hype, a ketogenic diet is not something new. In medicine, we have been using it for almost 100 years to treat drug-resistant epilepsy, especially in children. In the 1970s, Dr. Atkins popularized his very-low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss that began with a very strict two-week ketogenic phase. Over the years, other fad diets incorporated a similar approach for weight loss.

What is a ketogenic (keto) diet?

In essence, it is a diet that causes the body to release ketones into the bloodstream. Most cells prefer to use blood sugar, which comes from carbohydrates, as the body’s main source of energy. In the absence of circulating blood sugar from food, we start breaking down stored fat into molecules called ketone bodies (the process is called ketosis). Once you reach ketosis, most cells will use ketone bodies to generate energy until we start eating carbohydrates again. The shift, from using circulating glucose to breaking down stored fat as a source of energy, usually happens over two to four days of eating fewer than 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Keep in mind that this is a highly individualized process, and some people need a more restricted diet to start producing enough ketones.

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It lacks carbohydrates, a ketogenic diet is rich in proteins and fats. It typically includes plenty of meats, eggs, processed meats, sausages, cheeses, fish, nuts, butter, oils, seeds, and fibrous vegetables. Because it is so restrictive, it is really hard to follow over the long run. Carbohydrates normally account for at least 50% of the typical American diet. One of the main criticisms of this diet is that many people tend to eat too much protein and poor-quality fats from processed foods, with very few fruits and vegetables.

Is a ketogenic diet healthy?

We have solid evidence showing that a ketogenic diet reduces seizures in children, sometimes as effectively as medication. Because of these neuroprotective effects, questions have been raised about the possible benefits for other brain disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, sleep disorders, autism, and even brain cancer. However, there are no human studies to support recommending ketosis to treat these conditions.

Weight loss is the primary reason people use the ketogenic diet. Previous research shows good evidence of a faster weight loss when people go on a ketogenic or very low carbohydrate diet compared to participants on a more traditional low-fat diet, or even a Mediterranean diet.

A ketogenic diet also has been shown to improve blood sugar control for patients with type 2 diabetes, at least in the short term. A few studies show some people have an increase in cholesterol levels in the beginning.

Key takeaways from a ketogenic diet

A ketogenic diet could be an interesting alternative to treat certain conditions and may accelerate weight loss.

It can be challenging to follow, and it can be heavy on red meat and other fatty, processed, and salty foods to make up for the carbohydrates deficit.

Try to embrace this change that is sustainable over the long term. A ketogenic diet can solve all your weight insecurities, plus it can give you a break from the same meals week on week. It can definitely give you a new lease of life, for the better!

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this article was originally posted on https://www.health.harvard.edu/