The ketogenic diet is a fat-rich, low-carb eating plan that has been in use for centuries in treating different medical conditions. However, this diet gained considerable attention as one of the best weight-loss strategies owing to its low-carb craze.
So, how does this eating plan works, and how does it help to improve health? Read through the article to find answers to these questions and more.
What is the ketogenic diet?
A keto diet is a high-fat, extremely low-carb diet that shares multiple similarities with other low-carb eating plans. It involves replacing carbohydrate consumption with fats.
When this carbohydrate reduction occurs, the diet puts the body into a metabolic condition known as ketosis. When the body is in this state, it becomes highly active in burning fats for energy and increases ketone si b b gi 8 u in b 8 in the liver, which can also be used to supply energy to the brain.
A keto eating plan can significantly reduce insulin and blood sugar levels, which, together with increased ketones, can have multiple health bencefits m o h. Let’s look at some of these benefits in the section below.
- Â Â Keto diet on weight-lifter loss.
Weight loss is one of the many reasons the keto eating plan has gained popularity. This diet promotes weight loss in many ways.
Since processed carbs contribute to weight gain, removing them from your eating plan leads to the reduction of weight gain causes. And keto diet is an extremely low-carb food plan that encourages burning fats for energy and weight loss.
Also, there are evidence supporting the keto diet as an appetite suppressant. People usually feel hungry because of increased hormone production. A Keto diet reduces the production of these hormones hence limiting your appetite level, making you get hungry less often, and meaning no binge eating.
According to a study by Meta-analysis in 2013 on weight loss plans, people observing keto eating plan lost 2 pounds more than others in a span of one year.
- Â Â Keto diet and cholesterol.
There are two types of cholesterol in the body, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is known as the “bad cholesterol,” and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as the “good protein.”
Lipoproteins move fats around the body. LDL collects them, then HDL picks the fat-filled LDL to the liver to be flushed out of the body. A keto diet can promote the production of HDL than LDL in the bloodstream.
And according to different researches, healthy fats are responsible for boosting HDL cholesterol. Therefore, they confirm that a low-carb, high-fat diet can significantly balance cholesterol levels.
Remember the keyword here is “healthy fats,” so stick only to unsaturated fats found in fruits and foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish.
- Â Â Diabetes management.
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that affects the body’s ability to convert food into energy. We have always heard that insulin prices are increasing regularly, which is often bad news for diabetic patients.
The work of insulin is to break down blood sugars and glucose. But eating a low-carb, high-fat diet like keto ensures that the body produces fewer sugars and glucose, so you don’t need more insulin, hence managing some conditions of diabetes.
- Â Â Keto diet and PCOS.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a hormonal disorder that causes the release of excess male hormones and cysts on female ovaries, making them function abnormally. Common symptoms include excess hair growth and variations in the menstrual cycle in women.
Women with this condition tend to have sexual health problems like low sex drive and infertility in cases of no treatment. However, keto diets can help reduce the chances of developing PCOS by minimizing risk factors such as weight gain or loss, high insulin and cholesterol levels, and hormonal balance.
Conclusion.
While some keto diet benefits need more scientific research to prove their effectiveness, it can significantly help with weight loss, management, and prevention of most chronic illnesses.
If the keto diet is working for you, it may offer multiple benefits when done in the short term and correct, and healthy way. However, do not start on this diet without consulting your doctor or any specialized healthcare provider.
This is important because keto is controversial, and long-term usage can reverse the benefits to more risks.
