Keto diet: Effective but risky

Dr Russell also coined the term “ketogenic” diet. It then became an acceptable therapeutic diet for pediatric epilepsy and was widely used until its popularity ceased with the introduction of antiepileptic agents.

The keto diet’s success lies in its ability to change the body’s source of energy. Normally, your body turns carbohydrates into glucose for energy. Eating a lot of fat and very few carbs puts you in ketosis, a metabolic state where your body burns fat instead of carbs for fuel. During ketosis, the body becomes very efficient at burning fat and using it instead of glucose for energy.

Jackie Mary Nanyonjo, a nutritionist notes that a keto plan centres on fat, which supplies as much as 90 per cent of daily calories. She cautions against adapting this diet without a doctor’s supervision.

Benefits
According to a 2006 study by Dr Mathew C Thazhumpal and Dr Naji Al-Zaid, a long-term ketogenic diet significantly reduced the body weight and body mass index of the patients.
Other benefits include;

Appetite reduction
According to Rogers Balamaga, a practitioner of the diet, unlike most weight loss diets where the person is always craving but denying their body certain foods, the keto diet has the opposite effect.

“The body on a keto diet produces ketones which suppress ghrelin the hormone that cause hunger.
The ketones also increase cholecystokinin, which makes you feel full which means you can prolong periods one goes without eating thus forcing your body to burn more fat for energy,” Balamaga states.

Fuels your brain
Did you know your brain is made up of more than 60 per cent fat? Ketones are so powerful that they can provide up to 20 per cent of your brain’s energy needs, which is way more efficient than the energy you get from glucose.

Increases energy
When your brain uses ketones for fuel, you don’t experience the same energy slumps as you do when you’re eating a lot of carbs. When your metabolism is in fat-burning mode, your body can simply tap into its readily available fat stores for energy.

Nutrient ratio
Nanyonjo observes that one of the common mistakes people make on keto is fall for the temptation to eat more protein than is permissible.

“The thought of losing weight by eating meat can easily mislead people to think that they can binge on meat. This can be counteractive to the diet because when you eat more protein than your body needs, some of its amino acids will be turned into glucose via a process called gluconeogenesis and keep your body from going into ketosis,” she notes.

The nutritionist advises that a well-formulated low-carb diet should be high in fat and moderate in protein as per the portions above.

A good range to aim for is 1.5–2.0 grams per kg of body weight. The most common Keto-friendly animal protein sources include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and cheese. On the vegetarian side, keto-friendly plant protein sources include most nuts and seeds, although some are higher in carbs than others.

Some healthy unsaturated fats are allowed on the keto diet such as nuts (almonds, walnuts), seeds, avocados, tofu, and olive oil. But saturated fats from oils (palm, coconut), lard, butter, and cocoa butter are encouraged in high amounts.

Protein is part of the keto diet, but it does not typically discriminate between lean protein foods and protein sources high in saturated fat such as beef, pork, and bacon.
squashes.

Keto risks
A ketogenic dietis is high in saturated fat. Health experts recommend that you keep saturated fats to no more than 7 per cent of your daily calories because of the link to heart disease. And indeed, the keto diet is associated with an increase in “bad” LDL cholesterol, which is also linked to heart disease. Other potential keto risks include;
Liver problems- With so much fat to metabolise, the diet could make any existing liver conditions worse.

Kidney problems
The kidneys help metabolise protein, and the keto diet may overload them.
Constipation-the keto diet is low in fibrous foods like grains and legumes.
Fuzzy thinking and mood swings.

Additional reporting from www.health.harvard.edu