Who Should Go On The Keto Diet

WHO SHOULD GO ON THE KETO DIET?

The world is currently buzzing with a lot of weight-loss diets. Some of these diets include various low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet plans. But the Ketogenic (Keto) diet is unique because it focuses on fat.

Initially, the keto diet was used to reduce the frequency of seizures in epileptic children. But its effect on weight loss has also been studied, and the results have shown reasonable success. It has recently become famous for helping with many things, from weight loss to better cognition. In fact, there are over a million Google searches every month about the keto diet, especially how to do it and the success rate.

HOW KETO DIET WORKS

Your body naturally uses glucose (from carbohydrates) as fuel to provide you with the energy you need for daily activities. But keto’s objective is to force your body into using a different type of fuel – ketone bodies. Your liver produces these ketone bodies by burning fat.

Burning fat sounds like the perfect way to lose weight. After all, that is the primary aim of you trying to lose weight. However, getting your liver to start producing ketone bodies is not as simple as it sounds. This is because:

1. You have to deprive your body of carbohydrates. This means consuming less than 50 grams of carbohydrates daily. But remember, a medium-sized banana has about 27 grams of carbs.
2. Your body also needs a few days, weeks in some cases, to achieve ketosis.
3. Furthermore, consuming excessive protein can interfere with ketosis.

In keto, fat supplies up to 90% of your daily calorie requirement. The standard keto diet typically consists of about 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrate. But there are other variations with different proportions of fat, protein, and carbohydrate.

Given the high amount of fat in the ketogenic diet, it is not something you should embark on as an experiment.

WHO SHOULD GO ON THE KETO DIET

There is no denying that the keto diet has a lot of impressive health benefits. But just like any diet, it is not suitable for everyone. However, people with any of the following conditions appear to reap the most benefits:

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The keto diet has been shown to improve blood sugar and weight control in type 2 diabetics. In fact, a study recorded diabetes reversal in up to 60% of the participants. The study participants also lost an average of 30 pounds, significantly reduced their daily insulin requirements, and some no longer had to take oral hypoglycemic drugs.

Furthermore, the study found the keto diet easier to sustain than diet plans that focus on calorie restriction or protein-sparing modified fast.

Morbid Obesity

Body mass index (BMI) above 40 has been associated with numerous health issues, from heart disease and diabetes to certain cancers.

Fortunately, the Keto diet can help people with morbid obesity to lose significant amounts of weight, which can help improve their health status. The diet can also help improve your insulin sensitivity if you have insulin resistance without type 2 diabetes.

Another unique thing about keto, in this case, is that it can serve as a short-term reset for your metabolism, so you don’t have to be on it forever. But you must stick to a healthy diet after this reset to reap the maximum benefit.

Epilepsy

The keto diet can help control epilepsy symptoms through different mechanisms. In fact, it has been in use for this purpose since the 1920s and is further supported by a 2019 review.

The Epilepsy Foundation also suggests that ketosis can help reduce epileptic seizures, especially in people where other treatment methods have failed. This diet has shown the best efficacy in children with focal seizures.

Other Neurological Conditions

Beyond treatment-resistant epilepsy, research has also found it beneficial in other neurological conditions, like Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and brain cancers such as glioblastoma.

Bipolar Disorder

The keto diet can serve as a good mood stabilizer in people with type 2 bipolar disorder. In fact, an early study suggested that the diet may even be more effective than medications.

WHO SHOULD NOT DO KETO DIET

Despite the associated health benefits, the keto diet is also associated with many health risks. Hence, it can be hazardous for certain people. The following people should, therefore, not do the keto diet:

Type 1 Diabetes

This category of people has to take insulin daily to control their blood sugar. Going on keto can further lower their blood sugar levels to dangerous levels, which can lead to coma or even death.

People Taking Sodium-glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors

This is a medication used in the management of diabetes, and it increases the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis. You should, therefore, avoid the keto diet if you are taking this medication. This is because the diet will further increase your risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening.

Heart Disease

Keto diets with high amounts of saturated fats can worsen existing heart disease and even increase your risk if you don’t already have it. This is because saturated fats can increase your Low-Density Lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) levels, which has been linked to heart disease.

Liver Problems

Your liver metabolizes the fat in your meals. Therefore, going on the keto diet gives your liver extra fat to process, thus putting it under additional strain. This can worsen any existing liver disease.

Kidney Problems

Your kidneys metabolize proteins in your diet. But the keto diet contains a high amount of proteins, which may overload your kidneys and worsen an existing kidney problem.

Thyroid Disease

The keto diet may reduce your thyroid hormone levels. And this can interfere with the effects of the medications used to manage thyroid disorders. So, it is recommended that you do not go on the keto diet if you have a thyroid disease.

Multiple Sclerosis

The long-term safety of keto for multiple sclerosis is questionable. This is why the National Multiple Sclerosis Society strongly warns about the possible side effects, including fatigue and constipation.

It is, therefore, best to stay off the keto diet if you have multiple sclerosis, so you do not worsen your symptoms.

Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

This is another group that should not go on the keto diet. This is because teaching the body to use ketone bodies as the energy source does not work in babies and can be very harmful.

Though there haven’t been any controlled studies done in pregnant humans, pregnant mice placed on the keto diet had offspring with many developmental issues.

Eating Disorder

If you have a history of an eating disorder, going on a strict diet that eliminates some food groups can trigger a relapse.  More people now try to treat binge eating disorder (BED) with keto. But experts strongly advise against it because the treatment of BED requires regular and adequate food intake without restrictions.

Removed Gallbladder

Your gallbladder stores bile, which is a substance that aids fat digestion. So, if you go on the keto diet without your gallbladder, your fat metabolism will be poor. This can significantly impair your mood.

SAFETY OF THE KETO DIET

There is not enough long-term data to support the efficacy and safety of this diet over decades. However, if you are overweight or insulin-resistant, the keto diet can help you become healthier. It achieves this by getting your system out of the metabolic crisis. After which, you can stay healthy by sticking with a healthy diet routine rich in whole and nutritious foods.

SUMMARY

The keto diet will likely require a total overhaul of the way you usually eat. But, it may be worth it if your goal is to lose weight or if you have any of the health conditions it has been proven to help with. You should, however, stay off keto if you have health issues that can be worsened by the diet.

It is also essential that you eat healthy whole foods when you are on the keto diet. Such foods include non-starchy vegetables, as the carbohydrates in a vegetable like broccoli are significantly different from and more healthy than those in sugary drinks.

Furthermore, whatever the diet plan you choose to go on, you should make sure you eat whole and nutrient-rich foods.