It is often observed that the people suffering from various lifestyle diseases are in general obese and try to reduce excess fat through controlled diet, exercise, yoga, etc. This situation is worse in western and developed countries where people consume more food than required.
There are several types of diet which is successful in reducing body weight. The most commonly used diets are Paleo, South Beach, Atkins, and Keto diet. All diet is low in carbohydrates and rich in protein which helps in reducing body weight.
What is Ketogenic Diet?
The Keto diet is characterized by low carb, moderate protein, and rich in fatty foods. During the process of metabolism our body digests carbohydrates and produces glucose, which is the fuel for the body, however, in the presence of fat, the liver produces ketones, the fuel necessary for the functioning of the body. This process is known as ketosis.
Compelling the body to produce energy from the fat helps in reducing the total fat content in the body however it also helps in lowering the blood sugar level and regulates insulin production in absence of glucose.
What are the types of keto diet?
There are several types of keto/ketogenic diet however the most widely studied are standard and high protein keto diet.
- Standard Keto Diet
- Cyclic Keto Diet
- Targeted Keto Diet
- High Protein Keto Diet
In a keto diet, the major constituents are fats followed by protein and carbohydrates however, they can be consumed in a cyclical/targeted manner.
What are the benefits of ketogenic diet?
Keto diets have several health benefits, some of the benefits are discussed below:
Body Weight Reduction
The philosophy of a ketogenic diet lies in the consumption and processing of fat in place of carbohydrates. This process stimulates our liver to perform ketosis and generate necessary fuel from fats.
Though it takes 4-5 days for the liver to perform ketosis and release ketones in place of glucose, however, once the process is established liver tries to access stored fats in the body and burn those fats in ketones in absence of carbohydrates.
The Keto diet is one of the fastest methods to reduce body weight by burning body fat in place of carbs. In one of the studies, it is found that it helps in reducing weight three times faster than normal weight loss processes.
The presence of rich fat contents in diet also helps in boosting triglyceride and HDL, the good cholesterol required for the functioning of the body. This diet is easy to follow without counting calories.
Anti-Diabetic
In the case of a normal diet, we consume lots of carbohydrates to produce necessary body fuel however the absence of carbs in the keto diet helps in reducing the blood sugar level and prevents type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing lifestyle diseases across the globe which puts an extra burden on out-of-pocket expenditure. Adopting a Keto diet may help in preventing diabetes in the early stage.
Doctors prescribe the keto diet to individuals suffering from diabetes due to its miraculous results. Diabetic people either reduced the medications or stopped the medications in few cases after following a keto diet.
The lowering of blood sugar is also linked with weight reduction. Keto diet helps in reducing body weight and protects against many lifestyle diseases like diabetes.
Neural Disorders
A ketogenic diet helps against various nervous system-related and brain diseases. It is often prescribed by doctors to consume low carb high-fat diet which has some effects against these cruel disorders which broke the people mentally and physically.
It is found to have effects against Epilepsy, Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease. Its regular consumption shows a massive reduction in seizures in epileptic children’s however, it reduces the symptoms of Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s and slows down its progress.
Some studies on laboratory animals show positive results in case of brain injury. It can help reduce concussion and post-injury recovery.
Apart from the above-mentioned diseases, the keto diet may help against some other health conditions like heart disease, cancer, and acne.
Risk of Keto Diet
Ketogenic diets have several advantages however its associate risk can’t be ruled out. In this process, we focus most of the preferred food items in place of the required balanced diet which may lead to various health conditions during prolonged exposure.
Some of the risks associated with keto diets are described below:
Nutrient Deficiency
The absence of carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables may cause nutrient deficiency which is essential for the function of the body. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins and minerals and affect the functioning of cells, tissues, organs, and the whole body.
Liver Dysfunction
Our body is accustomed to metabolising carbohydrates and produces blood sugar however, the keto diet is rich in fats which may affect the health of the liver and it may cause several gastrointestinal disorders.
Nutrients are essential for maintaining the proper health of the gastrointestinal system however its absence may lead to malfunctioning and cause several diseases. In the case of pre-existing liver disorders, the ketogenic diet may only worsen the condition.
Renal Disorders
The kidney helps in the metabolism, absorption, and reabsorption of protein and its related enzymes. However, the overloading of protein in the keto diet may help in upsetting the kidney and disrupts its functioning. It may lead to unwanted toxicity in the blood due to malfunctioning of kidneys.
Constipation
The absence of fibre and the richness of fats affect the metabolism process. The lack of fiber in food leads to constipation and toxicity in the body.
In addition to these risks associated with the keto diet, it can also cause mood swings and altered thinking due to the presence of a low concentration of sugar in the body.
Summary
Analogous to the coin keto diet has two sides-health benefits and health risks. It has proven to be great assistance in the case of reducing body weight, preventing diabetes and neural disorders in various age groups however it has some underlying disadvantages which may have deadly effects in long term. Keto diet is always advisable to be consumed for a definite period however, a doctor’s advice is needed before continuing it for a prolonged period. “Eat Healthy Stay Healthy”.
