What is the Keto Diet?

What is the Keto Diet?

 

Every other month, a new school of thought emerges on how to lose weight – a lot of it, and fast. In fact, many people struggle with weight control - 33 percent of U.S. adults are overweight and an additional 36 percent are obese. It seems logical to most, that to lose weight you’re supposed to eat less and try to exercise more. Research tells us that reality is more complicated. It takes a lot more than a brief excursion into deprivation if you want to lose weight, and keep it from returning.

 

The Keto Diet is like many others, a type of deprivation diet. It involves modifying your food intake in such a way so as to induce a state of ketosis. Ketosis occurs when the body is deprived of carbohydrates, so it shifts its metabolism, forcing the liver to make ketone bodies from fatty acids. This is particularly possible either during periods of starvation or if one shifts their diet in order to avoid carbohydrates and promote the intake of fat and protein.

 

That is essentially what the Keto Diet is. Cutting down carb intake down to 20-50 grams per day and increasing fat intake up to 90% of the daily calories ingested. The short-term results reported in studies have been mixed, with some reported benefits. However, in the long term, the effects remain a mystery, and the relative safety of the diet remains to be ascertained.

 

Bearing in mind that potential outcomes of this diet include nutrient deficiency, liver and kidney problems, constipation and fuzzy thinking and mood swings, medical counseling is advised if you’re to take a chance on the Keto Diet.

 

Sources:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-you-try-the-keto-diet

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/weight-control.aspx

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 3 Jan 2019
Medical Author: Dr. med.