Ketogenic diets are high in fats, contain sufficient protein for health, and contain minimal carbohydrates. Different from a simple low-carbohydrate diet, the ketogenic diet seeks to establish a state of ketosis, where fat is converted to ketone bodies in place of blood sugar to provide the brain with energy. Ketogenic diets are used to treat cases of epilepsy, but also may have implications for weight loss and general health.
Introduction to Ketogenic Diets
Ketogenic diets, unlike low-carbohydrate diets, operate on very low carbohydrate intake and emphasize the intake of oils to force the body to produce ketone bodies for energy that will be used over glucose. Ketogenic diets attempt to limit carbohydrate consumption to below 10 percent of the body's total energy intake daily. Test strips for urinalysis are used to track the state of the body, if it is in a ketogenic state, each morning and subsequent alterations in diet are made.
Ketogenic Diet Effectiveness
Ketogenic diets have been used in the past to treat epilepsy. However, research by Dr. Jeff Volek and colleagues has examined the ketogenic diet as a weight loss program. In a 2005 study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, Dr. Volek examined the difference in weight loss success in ketogenic diets versus low-fat diets. Despite eating more total calories, the ketogenic diet group lost more fat than the low-fat diet.
Cardiovascular Health and Ketogenic Diets
Ketogenic diets, despite being high in fats, appear to not only be safe for those at risk of cardiovascular diseases but may even help reduce certain risk factors, such as high cholesterol. Dr. Volek suggests that short-term, four- to 12-week-long, very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets may reduce an individual's LDL cholesterol number while improving HDL, or good cholesterol, numbers as well as reducing weight and body fat, additional markers of cardiovascular disease risk.
Brain Health and Ketogenic Diets
Ketogenic diets reduce the production of glucose for brain fuel and, instead, rely upon the production of ketone bodies to fuel brain activity. 2010 research by Dr. K. Xu of Case Western Reserve University demonstrated that aging brains on ketogenic diets experienced increased blood flow and delivery of nutrients, theoretically protecting them from neurodegenerative disease. Ketogenic diets do not seem to interfere with cognitive performance.
Ketogenic Disease and Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin sensitivity, the ability of your body to process carbohydrates efficiently, may be enhanced with a ketogenic diet, according to 2010 research by Dr. Karen Kinzig of Purdue University. Those with metabolic syndrome fed a ketogenic diet for eight weeks and subsequently fed a high-carbohydrate meal demonstrated greater insulin sensitivity and had increased insulin receptor availability, demonstrating the ketogenic diet's ability to improve the body's ability to handle carbohydrates.
References
- "Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism"; Comparison of Energy-Restricted Very Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets on Weight Loss and Body Composition in Overweight Men and Women; Jeff Volek, Ph.D.; November 2004
- "Journal of Advanced Experimental Medical Biology"; Diet-Induced Ketosis Improves Cognitive Performance in Aged Rats; K. Xu, Ph.D.; 2010
- "Journal of Endocrinology"; Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Tolerance are Altered by Maintenance on a Ketogenic Diet; Karen Kinzig, Ph.D.; July 2010
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