The Benefits of a Keto Diet

The ketogenic or keto diet offers several benefits that help to make it a popular choice among many dieters. The keto diet lowers the number of carbohydrates you consume to around five percent while greatly increasing the number of fatty foods you eat. You will also consume a moderate to high amount of protein on this diet.

Lowering your carb intake this much will change the way your body burns energy. Carbohydrates break down and enter the bloodstream as blood sugar or glucose. The cells in your body use glucose as a source of energy. By greatly lowering your carb intake, you’re reducing the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream, which forces the body to find another energy source.

As a result, the body begins breaking down fat and using it for energy. This process is referred to as ketosis and the molecules it produces are called ketones. The body will use ketones as an energy source until you begin eating carbs again. It can be difficult to reduce the number of carbs you eat so drastically but doing so for a short period of time may have a positive effect on your health.

Here are some of the possible health benefits of a keto diet:

• Weight loss — One of the main benefits associated with the keto diet is weight loss. In fact, it’s one of the fastest ways to jumpstart any weight loss program, because it helps you lose weight quickly in the first few weeks of the diet.
• Reduce your risk of having a seizure — The higher levels of ketones found in the blood are believed to improve symptoms of epilepsy by reducing the number of seizures a person has. However, it has proven to be most effective for children suffering from focal (partial) seizures.
• Reduce your risk for heart disease — As you know, bad cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease. When you introduce healthy fats and proteins into your diet it increases your HDL or good cholesterol levels, while reducing your LDL or bad cholesterol levels. For this reason, the keto diet may help lower your risks for heart disease.
• Clear up acne — Your diet plays a major role in the health of your skin. Eating large amounts of carbs every day can create an imbalance in hormones that make the skin oilier than normal. Oily skin can increase the number of acne outbreaks you have or make them more severe. Cutting back on the carbs, which is what this diet is all about, will help keep your hormones in balance, resulting in clearer-looking skin.
• Improve brain activity — Studies associated with the keto diet suggest that it may reduce your risk of developing dementia, which includes disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. It may also be used to help treat these disorders. However, more studies are needed to understand the exact effect this diet has on the brain.
• Improve symptoms of diabetes — When following this diet closely, your glucose levels drop significantly. This should help the body keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range. As the amount of insulin in the body reaches normal levels, the symptoms should begin to decrease.
• Lower your risk for certain types of cancers — It’s believed that some cancers are associated with complications due to high blood sugar levels. Therefore, any diet that helps the body manufacture insulin more efficiently should lower your risks of developing these types of cancers.
• May improve symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS — Since a diet filled with carbohydrates has a negative effect on women with this condition, it’s reasonable to assume that any diet that reduces your carb intake could also reduce your symptoms.

While the keto diet does have some health benefits when used for short periods, more research and studies are needed to see how it affects the body long-term. Your body is designed to use glucose as its primary source of energy. Therefore, staying in a state of ketosis for long periods could have a negative effect on your health.

For example, there is a risk of developing acidosis, kidney stones, chronic fatigue, and extremely low blood sugar levels. There is also a risk of losing too much weight. In extreme cases, muscle degeneration is possible.

The keto diet is an excellent way to jumpstart your weight loss journey. It can help you lose those first few pounds more quickly while possibly providing other benefits. However, as with any diet, it’s important to talk to your health care provider before starting the keto diet. It’s even more important if you have any major health issues such as hypoglycemia, heart disease, or diabetes.

Now that you know the benefits of a keto diet, you can name a decision with the help of your doctor, about whether or not it’s right for you at this time. Keto isn’t for everyone, but there are many benefits to those who choose it as a diet.