Risks Of The Ketogenic Diet: What Are They?

2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:49

Highly prized for rapid weight loss, lowering the risk of diabetes as well as fighting cancer, the ketogenic diet has continued to gain popularity across the healthy eating world. Based on high fat (70-90%) and low carbohydrate nutrition, the keto diet has a lot of health and beauty benefits. However, several are already alarming studies on the dangers that this type of diet can cause. An overview of the dangers and risks of the ketogenic diet to be wary of.

The benefits and risks of the ketogenic diet to know

Once used in the fight against epilepsy in children, the ketogenic diet is now being talked about again as a weight loss diet. All the rage in the world of fashionable diets, the keto diet involves eliminating almost all carbohydrates from the daily menu (especially starches) and favoring foods high in fat and protein. In addition to promoting rapid weight loss, some studies show it has the power to control epilepsy, boost the immune system against viral infections, and improve overall health! The ketogenic diet, or “low carb”, is characterized by a significant reduction in carbohydrate intake and by replacing them with good fats. This decrease in carbohydrates puts the body into a metabolic state called nutritional ketosis.

The main goal of the ketogenic diet? Make the body burn only lipids, which are necessary for it to operate properly. To do this, we deprive it of carbohydrates. The body then becomes extremely "active" so that it can secure energy. Therefore, the diet helps lower blood sugar and insulin levels naturally without medication. By resounding tumor growth, it is also widely used to treat certain types of cancer. A good number of experts find that the keto diet has a positive impact on the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

What to put on the plate to follow such a diet? In practice, the "low carb" diet results in a diet made up of vegetables low in carbohydrates (lettuce, spinach, mushrooms), dairy products, eggs, meats and fish. On the other hand, it prohibits the consumption of sweets. Otherwise, the first step in the diet (going into ketosis) simply won't happen. In this context, switching to ketosis can cause undesirable effects in some practitioners: headaches, fatigue, bad breath, stinky urine, nausea, etc. These symptoms are also known as the “ketogenic flu”.

The ketogenic diet, good for the body in the short term, but harmful in the long run

Although it has been very fashionable in recent years, the ketogenic diet has its drawbacks for the body. According to some researchers, it is beneficial for the metabolism, provided it is adopted in the short term. Otherwise, the keto diet becomes dangerous for the body when it is followed for more than a week. To prove it, specialists at Yale University in the United States subjected mice to this diet for more than a week. Small rodents ate more fat without burning it. Thus, they lost their gamma delta T cells and became prone to diabetes and obesity.

Side Effects and Risks of the Ketogenic Diet

1. Ketogenic flu (already explained above)
2. Nutritional Deficiencies - Being very restrictive and very low in carbohydrates, the keto diet can lead to significant nutritional deficits in vitamin A, selenium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and iodine, thus weakening the immune system.
3. Risks of kidney stones and bone loss - excess calcium in the urine, combined with a lack of citrate, can promote the formation of kidney stones. Disrupting the mineral balance in the body, this diet also alters bone capital.
4. Ketoacidosis - the blood pH generally needs to be between 7.38 and 7.42 for the body to function properly. In some cases, the keto diet can cause a significant decrease in blood pH.
5. Cancer cells under attack - glucose is a well-known fuel for cancer cells. Depriving them of sugar is therefore a fairly effective method of fighting the fatal disease. However, one study shows that some cancer cells become more aggressive in the absence of glucose.

Contraindications of the ketogenic diet

Whether it's the Pegan, Dash, Whole30 or keto diet, there are always contraindications to consider before getting started. In case of diabetes, pancreatitis, metabolic disorders, porphyria (blood disease) or deficiency of certain enzymes important for the liver (pyruvate kinase), the keto diet is strongly discouraged!