The Pros and Cons of the Ketogenic Diet.

If you are a beginner and you are not familiar with how different kinds of weight loss diet programs work, you might be concerned about what you are getting yourself into, whether the diet program you are choosing will work for you, or whether you can sustain the diet program long-term. You may have also heard about the emerging trends in nutrition and how certain diets yield more effective results than their counterparts.  Among these is the highly controversial ketogenic diet (1), which consistently tops the charts in the weight loss program mania. But then, your hesitance kicks in, and you start to question yourself whether what you are hearing is too good to be true. You are not alone. In fact, you are on the right track if you decide to read about how different diet programs work, and the risks you are getting yourself into.

How the Ketogenic diet works

Ketogenic diet (simply known as "keto") works by depriving your body of glucose, its default source of energy (2). By following this strict dietary program, which does not necessarily restrict your caloric consumption but requires you to strictly follow a certain proportion of carbohydrates, protein, and fats in your diet (3), your body is forced to "shift" its source of energy. Since you are only allowed a minimal intake of carbohydrates (less than 50 grams per day (4), your body is technically deprived of the glucose it needs to function normally. Thus, your body is forced to utilize its backup energy source- glycogen.Glycogen, our body's stored form of glucose, mainly regulates the amount of glucose in our blood (5). In times when we consume too much carbohydrates, and our blood gets flooded with glucose, the excess glucose is converted into glycogen (through a process called glycogenesis) which is stored in our liver and our muscles. When the available glucose in our blood becomes too low, our pancreas releases a hormone (called glucagon) which is responsible for converting the glycogen stored in our liver back to glucose (through a process called gluconeogenesis) to increase its availability in our bloodstream. Thus, consuming a minimum amount of carbohydrates does not immediately deprive our body of glucose, not until the stored glycogen in our liver has been depleted.In a ketogenic diet, our body's metabolism does not just stop at using the stored glycogen in our liver but extends way beyond until the available glycogen has been depleted. Once this happens, our body will then deploy its 2nd line of defense and start using its alternative source of energy- our stored fats. When all our body's sources of glucose have been used up, our body enters a state of ketosis, wherein our body will metabolize its stored fats to produce ketones,  a rich and steady source of energy. At this state, our body will continue "burning" fats for fuel leading to weight loss.

The Pros and Cons of a Ketogenic Diet

Now that you understand the mechanism behind the ketogenic diet, let us look into the things that you need to consider in order to make your informed decision on whether keto is the diet program for you.

Experience the keto benefits

Effective way to lose weight

Other than burning our stored fats for energy, keto diet has another mechanism that makes it a more effective and efficient option for weight loss.  By consistently putting your body in a ketosis state, your body gets used to using ketones (a byproduct of fat metabolism) as the prime energy source. At this point, hunger only happens when your body is not capable of accessing our stored fat, or you have insufficient fat in your body. However, since your body normally has more stored fats than glucose, this means that you can do more and go longer without feeling hungry, nor crave for sugar-rich foods. Plus, the fact that the high-fat content in your diet helps in boosting your satiety, the keto diet can definitely curb your cravings and appetite for unhealthy sweets.

Improves skin condition

Despite many people claiming that the high-fat content of a keto-friendly meal makes their skin oilier, it does not necessarily translate to having more skin breakouts. It is particularly essential to remember that in a keto diet, you still must consider the quality of the food that you are consuming.  Since not all keto-friendly foods are "clean" and healthy, choosing the right type of fats and carefully selecting the type of limited carbohydrate that you are allowed to consume is quintessential to achieving healthy skin flora (6). The high-fat-low-carb nature of a ketogenic diet normally decreases oxidative stress and inflammation in your body (7). This will lead to less redness and swelling on your skin, while increasing the level of glutathione (8) (a natural antioxidant) in your cells. When paired with certain recipes that are known to lower your chances of inflammation, a keto diet will surely help in achieving that clear skin you have always wanted.

Reduces cancer risks

In 1924, it was discovered by Otto Warburg and his colleagues that tumors consume more glucose (9) compared to surrounding tissues with healthier cells. Thus, it became established that cancer cells are mostly dependent on glycolysis (10) (a metabolic process of converting glucose to pyruvate) for their survival and growth.  However, since being on a ketogenic diet forces your body to be more inclined towards lipolysis (breakdown of stored fat) than to glycolysis, this may translate to minimizing your chances of developing cancer. It really is about starving your cancer risks to death!

Improved cardiovascular health

Despite the varying and opposing opinions that are for or against the keto diet, one thing that most experts agree on is the positive effect of a ketogenic diet on the cardiovascular health of those who PROPERLY adopted the ketogenic diet. In this case, the word "properly" had to be highlighted as it cannot be emphasized enough that a healthy ketogenic diet requires consuming more high-fat foods that are of high quality. This includes avocados, nuts, nut, and seed butter, flax seeds, chia seeds, olives, coconuts (and unrefined coconut oil), cacao nibs, full-fat Greek yogurt, fatty fish, whole eggs, butter, and cheese while avoiding foods that are high in artificial trans fats (ie., cakes, cookies, pastries, crackers, and biscuits), processed meats and fried foods. If you follow this guide faithfully, you will most likely decrease your cardiovascular risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and high cholesterol levels (11). However, since the ketogenic diet requires high consumption of fats, negative cardiovascular effects may still happen if the quality of fats is not being monitored.

Optimizes brain function

Other than being developed to treat drug-resistant epilepsy back in the 1920s, ketogenic diet supports brain functioning by forcing the brain to utilize ketones (being one of the very substances that can cross the blood-brain barrier (12) as a source of energy instead of depending too much on sugar and glucose. Whenever you successfully limit your carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams per day, you starve your body of the glucose it needs (at the same time, preventing your body's demand for an insulin surge), thus your brain is switching to its backup energy source- the ketones. Aside from being the backup energy source for your brain in cases of starvation (or low carbohydrate intake), ketones also stabilize your neuronal activities (13) by decreasing the frequency, duration, and intensity of your brain's electrical impulses. Moreover, studies have shown that using ketones as the energy source for your brain enhances your memory (14), and protects you from developing neurodegenerative diseases (15). 

Cuts down reproductive problems

The ketogenic diet has been proven to be effective for women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome( PCOS) (16). Since PCOS is very similar to type II diabetes because of its insulin-resistance nature, ketogenic diets have been proven to be effective against PCOS as they "improve(s) insulin sensitivity, help balance hunger hormones, and promote weight loss in people…" at the same time promotes a balance of women's sex hormones, lowering of triglyceride and cholesterol levels, normalize menstrual cycles and improve fertility. Also, Read Heart-Healthy Diet: 8 Foods to Help Save Your Heart.

The Downside of the Ketogenic Diet

Nutrient Deficiency

Since most people who follow a ketogenic lifestyle are under the assumption that they must limit their intake of carbohydrates, they tend to neglect to eat a wide variety of vegetables thus leading to deficiencies of micronutrients (such as selenium, magnesium, and phosphorus among others). Thus, if you choose to adopt the ketogenic diet, it really helps if you familiarize yourself with low-carbohydrate vegetables that can surely help you lose weight. 

Increased Risk for High Cholesterol

As mentioned earlier in this article, the benefit of a ketogenic diet highly depends on the quality of high-fat foods that you nourish yourself with. Choosing the right kind of keto-friendly food (ie., containing minimal amounts of artificial trans fats with high amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) will surely keep your cholesterol problems at bay. After all, in ketogenic diets, it always depends on the quality of your calories instead of their quantity.

Risks for Kidney disease

Although there is some truth that the high-fat-low-carb nature of the ketogenic diet may worsen metabolic acidosis, which is a common complication of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the diet itself does not necessarily lead to the disease. It is not the high-fat content, nor the low-carb nature of the ketogenic diet that is damaging the kidneys of some people, but the high-protein content of their diet. Regardless of the diet program you choose, it is important to understand that high-protein intake leads to increased blood pressure in your kidneys glomerulus (17) (the filtering unit of your kidney), thus leading to glomerular injury (and eventually, kidney failure). In whatever diet program that you choose, always consider the amount of dietary protein that you consume, if you want your kidneys to remain healthy and functioning.

Constipation

In the efforts of avoiding (or minimizing) carbohydrates in their diet, most people who are on a ketogenic diet are unconsciously becoming deficient in dietary fiber. Since most fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber are also high in carbohydrates, it becomes highly challenging for most people to get enough fiber in their diet, while avoiding carbohydrates. Other than having good-versus-bad types of fatty foods to follow, it is also important to know the differences between bad carbs and good carbs, and which type of carbohydrates you can consume while you are on a ketogenic diet. A good quality carbohydrate that you can consume while you are on keto includes fax seeds, chia seeds, avocado, almonds, unsweetened coconut meat, blackberries, pistachios, cauliflower, and broccoli among others.  This way, you can avoid the chances of getting constipated, while minimizing your carbohydrate consumption.

Keto flu

While having "keto flu" is quite common among people who just started on the keto diet program, it is only temporary and normally resolves after a week or two (or about the time when your body is already used to the ketogenic diet). In most cases, people will experience keto flu within two to seven days after starting the ketogenic diet program, with symptoms ranging from headache, fatigue, irritability, nausea, and difficulty sleeping. For some people,effective remedies include keeping themselves adequately hydrated, consuming enough calories (from keto-friendly meals), and maintaining a slow yet consistent transition to the ketogenic lifestyle.

So what's it gonna be?

If you still are left undecided after reading some of the pros and cons of ketogenic diet, subscribing to nutrition coaching sessions might help you achieve the body you want. After all, the best way to make your weight loss journey effective and enjoyable is to be guided and to work closely with the experts.