Keto Diet Benefits –
This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or nutrition program
Benefit #1: the keto diet can help you obtain (and maintain!) a healthy weight
The keto diet is excellent for losing fat and keeping it off. For example, a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials concluded that:
“Individuals assigned to a VLCKD [very low carbohydrate ketogenic diet] achieve a greater weight loss than those assigned to an LFD [low-fat diet] in the long term; hence, a VLCKD may be an alternative tool against obesity.”[1]
What’s more, randomized controlled trials found that the keto diet produces up to three times as much weight loss as a high-carb, low-fat diet.[2-3]
In other words, if you want to lean down but are sick and tired of failing your weight loss attempts, the keto diet may be the key to a slim figure.
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Benefit #2: the keto diet boosts brain function
When going keto, most people experience an improvement in their brain function and mental clarity.[4-5]
The keto diet supports your brain in various ways and for various reasons. A major reason is that ketosis enhances mitochondrial functioning. [6]
Researchers believe ketosis stimulates the formation of new mitochondria in your brain, especially in your hippocampus. [7] This aids your mental clarity, memory, and energy levels.
Benefit #3: the keto diet can help manage or even reverse diabetes
Many studies show minimizing carb intake benefits people with diabetes. In fact, the keto diet was the standard diabetes treatment before the discovery of injectable insulin. [8-9]
Consider the following:
Research published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that when type 2 diabetics went low-carb for two weeks, they improved insulin sensitivity by up to 75%. [10]
And another study involving 21 individuals with type 2 diabetes found that seven of them could stop their diabetes medication within 16 weeks of going keto. [11]
Benefit #4: the keto diet reduces heart disease risk
While saturated fat and cholesterol are often alleged to clog arteries, these compounds do not cause heart disease. [12-14]
That’s good news for keto dieters because this eating style loads up on high-fat foods such as eggs, nuts, and bacon.
In fact, the keto diet reduces heart disease risk for four main reasons. The keto diet: [15-18]
- Stimulates weight loss
- Elevates levels of the “good” HDL cholesterol
- Decreases blood triglycerides levels
- Reduces blood pressure
Benefit #5: the keto diet boosts mental well-being
The keto diet benefits various mental disorders and conditions. For example, research shows the keto diet: [19-22]
- Has an antidepressant effect
- Improves the behavior of children with autism
- May stabilize mood in bipolar disorder patients
- Has cured one case of schizophrenia
Benefit #6: the keto diet can be therapeutic for various neurological diseases
These include Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, infantile spasms (West syndrome), and epilepsy. [23-26]
Watch this video to find out if the Keto Diet can help you
Benefit #7: the keto diet may prevent and fight some types of cancer
Most cancer cells rely on glucose as fuel, which is why keto diets may help prevent and fight the disease.
For instance, when in-vitro cancer cells only receive ketones and fat for energy, they often die. [27] Plus, various studies show the keto diet helps fight brain cancer. [28-29]
Benefit #8: the keto diet can improve gut health and bowel disorders
Many bowel diseases are the result of gut pathogens and infections, both of which rely on glucose for energy.
By minimizing your carb intake, you stave off these infections and pathogens. That’s how going keto diet can improve gut health and treat bowel disease.
Get started now – Click here to see how the Keto Diet can help you
References:
1. Br J Nutr. 2013 Oct;110(7):1178-87.
2. J Pediatr. 2003 Mar;142(3):253-8.
3. N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2074-81.
4. Appetite. 2009 Feb;52(1):96-103.
5. Neurobiol Aging. 2012 Feb;33(2):425.e19-27.
6. J Child Neurol. 2013 Aug; 28(8): 1027–1033.
7. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2009 Mar;1790(3):208-12.
8. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2008 Dec 19;5:36.
9. Nutrition. 2015 Jan;31(1):1-13.
10. Ann Intern Med. 2005 Mar 15;142(6):403-11.
11. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2005; 2: 34.
12. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar;91(3):535-46.
13. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Aug;102(2):276-94.
14. Ann Intern Med. 2014 Mar 18;160(6):398-406.
15. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Oct 25;164(19):2141-6.
16. J Nutr. 2006 Feb;136(2):384-9.
17. N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2082-90.
18. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jul;90(1):23-32
19. Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Dec 15;56(12):981-3.
20. Pediatr Neurol. 2009 Aug;41(2):111-3.
21. J Child Neurol. 2003 Feb;18(2):113-8.
21. Med Hypotheses. 2001 Dec;57(6):724-6.
22. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009 Feb 26;6:10.
23. BMC Neurosci. 2006 Apr 3;7:29.
24. Brain Res. 2009 Aug 25;1286:25-31.
25. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009 Aug 10;6:31.
26. Lancet Neurol. 2004 Jul;3(7):415-20.
27. Carcinogenesis. 2014 Mar; 35(3): 515–527.
28. J Cancer Res Ther. 2009 Sep;5 Suppl 1:S7-15.
29. J Am Coll Nutr. 1995 Apr;14(2):202-8.
The keto diet has become extremely popular for its health benefits such as weight loss and preventing disease. The keto diet can be hugely beneficial, but how does it work to provide these benefits?
What is the Keto Diet?
You may have heard of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet. The keto diet keeps carbohydrate levels low, but instead of ramping up the amount of protein in your diet, the keto diet increases the amount of fat. A typical keto diet aims for meals with 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrate. Eating a high-fat diet can still mean eating healthy. Keto diet menu items often include seafood, meat, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, and nuts. With the increased popularity of the keto diet, keto recipes are widely available.
How Does the Keto Diet Work?
It might seem counterintuitive that adding more fat to your diet can lead to weight loss. Normally, your diet is high in carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucose, or blood sugar, for use as energy. As glucose enters your bloodstream, your body releases insulin to store excess glucose as fat. The more carbohydrates, the more glucose. The more glucose, the more insulin, and the more insulin, the more fat.
The keto diet takes advantage of the fact that when your meals are high-fat and low-carbohydrate, there is no insulin spike, and you don’t add to your fat reserves. Instead, fat from diet and stored fat are broken down to ketones (“keto” is short for “ketogenic” producing ketones). Like glucose, ketones can be used for energy, keeping your body running without increasing blood sugar or putting on excess fat. The benefits of the keto diet can be huge.
Weight Loss
Overall, the keto diet is an excellent way to burn fat and lose weight. Eating fewer carbohydrates suppresses appetite, and studies have shown that keto diet participants eat fewer calories overall because of this. Burning fat for energy can lead to rapid weight loss.
Reduced Blood Sugar and Insulin
Since carbohydrate intake is limited, blood sugar and insulin levels are lowered. This is particularly important for people with type 2 diabetes, which causes a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream. The keto diet can be used to reduce or eliminate the need for diabetic insulin injections.
Reduced Triglycerides
Fat subunit molecules called triglycerides normally circulate in your bloodstream. High levels of triglycerides are a significant risk factor in the development of heart disease. In the keto diet, because fat is being burned for energy, the number of triglyceride molecules in the bloodstream decreases, reducing the risk of heart disease.
Improved Cholesterol
“Bad” (LDL) cholesterol is another risk factor for heart disease. Too much bad cholesterol in your bloodstream builds up in your arteries, narrowing them and causing atherosclerosis, a type of heart disease. The keto diet reduces bad cholesterol levels while increasing the level of “good” (HDL) cholesterol in your body.
Summary
The keto diet provides many health benefits. This diet can not only help you quickly lose weight, but can also improve your overall health and help prevent disease.
Watch this video to find out more
