Alma Bax 
It’s no secret that the ketogenic diet has been touted as a way to lose weight, but it’s also been lauded for its positive health benefits. Many diseases, including Type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, have been linked to over-consumption of sugar. The ketogenic diet, a low-carb high-fat diet, helps to mitigate these diseases by fueling the body with fats, instead of glucose (sugar). Many health experts now believe that a low-carb diet may be the answer to preventing many of these chronic diseases.
The keto diet is becoming more popular, but what is keto exactly? What are the benefits of following the keto diet? Are there any potential negative side effects? What are the ketoids? Is going keto natural? Do you have to follow a strict diet? I’m here to tell you that these questions and more will be answered in this article.
Keep reading this article, and you’ll learn lots of things that can help you lose weight, get healthy, and live longer. One of the most exciting, is that a low carb diet can help protect against many diseases. In fact, atherosclerosis is a much more common cause of heart disease than previous studies have shown, and low carbohydrate diets can help prevent it. This is good news for those who follow a plant based diet to control diabetes, and also for those who have prediabetes.. Read more about ketogenic diet research articles and let us know what you think.
Many common health issues may be helped with a keto diet!
Low-carb, high-fat diets, such as the ketogenic diet, provide many health advantages in addition to weight reduction. In reality, the keto diet is increasingly being used to treat illnesses including epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and others. The keto diet has been widely studied as a medical treatment, with promising outcomes in virtually all instances.
Let’s look at some of the health issues that a keto diet may be able to assist with.
Epilepsy
The treatment of epilepsy was the first use of ketogenic therapy. This is still one of the most prevalent health issues that the ketogenic diet may help with. Dr. Russell Wilder of the Mayo Clinic created the first ketogenic diet in 1923 to treat epilepsy. Ketogenic therapy and brain surgery are thought to be the sole therapies for epilepsy. Seizures are decreased by at least 50% in half of epilepsy patients who follow this diet, and up to 25% are totally seizure-free.
Syndrome of Glut1 Deficiency
Glucose Transporter Deficiency Syndrome 1 (GLUT1) is a rare hereditary disease in which glucose (sugar) cannot be transported into brain cells for use as energy. Because it enables ketones (fats) to be used as an alternative fuel source, a ketogenic diet is the only effective therapy for this disease.
Brain cancer/tumor
As an energy source, cancer cells prefer glucose (sugar). Oncologists utilize this connection to identify tumor cells by combining the dye with glucose and utilizing positron emission tomography to show where the most sugar is eaten in the body, which is in the tumor. A ketogenic diet reduces blood sugar levels by forcing our healthy cells to use fat (ketones) rather than sugar for energy. Cancer cells, unlike healthy cells in our body, have a disrupted metabolism and are unable to utilize ketones effectively as fuel.
A keto diet has been proven in studies to starve damaged cancer cells, leading them to shrink and die. Although the mechanism of action of ketogenic therapy as a cancer treatment is still unknown, research in animal models clearly indicate that altering the way our cells utilize energy (by converting glucose to ketones) may be a very effective maintenance treatment for brain tumors.
Autism
ASDs are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by difficulties with speech, social interaction, and repetitive activities. With the exception of the ketogenic diet, which has been investigated as a potential alternative for improving behavior, language, and development, none of the diets frequently used to treat ASD have demonstrated a beneficial impact in clinical studies.
Other neurological conditions
A ketogenic diet may help with a variety of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, brain damage, migraines/headaches, sleep difficulties, autism, and multiple sclerosis, according to new research. The keto diet has been proven to have neuroprotective properties, and studies indicate that it may help with a variety of neurological issues.
The therapeutic potential of ketogenic treatment is well-known and extends well beyond weight loss. Thousands of individuals are finding the active health benefits of keto, and as a consequence, ketone metabolism and disease are still being studied extensively.
If you have a chronic disease, always contact your doctor first, since utilizing keto to address health issues requires thorough monitoring and guidance from several physicians.
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It’s been a few years since I wrote about weight loss, but the health issues I discussed may still be relevant. For example, there have been several studies that link excess weight with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. It turns out, weight loss may not only help you lose weight, but may also help you reduce the risk of those diseases.. Read more about keto health risks and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Keto help with?
Keto helps with weight loss, hunger, and energy levels.
What are the benefits besides weight loss in the keto diet?
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been proven to help with weight loss. However, there are other benefits such as improved mood and mental clarity.
Is keto good for extreme weight loss?
Keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to be effective for weight loss.
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