The ketogenic diet or “Keto Diet” is a low-carb, high-protein, and high-fat diet that shares many similarities with the low-carb and Atkins diets. The objective of the keto diet is to enter a new metabolic state called ketosis. After eating a few carbs but high amounts of protein for about three days, your body takes energy from ketones stored in fat instead of the sugars stored in carbs.
Benefits of the Keto Diet
There are numerous health benefits to the keto diet and researchers are still finding new ones here and there. The following are the most common benefits:
Weight Loss
A ketogenic diet can help you lose slightly more weight than a low-fat diet. The best part of the keto diet is you don’t have to starve yourself to get there. On a keto diet plan, you get to eat your fill of satiating foods loaded with good fats, which triggers a fat-burning metabolic process known as ketosis. Being in ketosis lowers insulin levels, which can help you access your stored body fat more easily.
Reduced Cravings
Once you get into ketosis, you generally don’t experience a peak in your blood sugar levels and the consequent hunger pangs that you get on a carbohydrate-heavy diet. Hormones, in this case, insulin, cholecystokinin, ghrelin, and leptin, play a genuine role in the loss of appetite, because they influence the feeling of being full.
Control or Reverse Type-II Diabetes
The ketogenic diet can boost insulin sensitivity and results in fat loss, leading to significant health benefits for people with Type-II Diabetes or prediabetes. This happens because, in the keto diet, we consume less carbohydrate as carbohydrate raises blood sugar much more than either protein or fat.
Cholesterol
People almost instantly think of high cholesterol levels when they think of high-fat diets. On a keto diet, many people experience a decrease in total cholesterol, a decrease in triglycerides, and an increase in HDL (High-density lipoprotein).
Improved Immunity
A low-carb, high-fat diet helps reduce inflammation, thanks to its antioxidant activity. When inflammation persists, it may damage tissues and overwhelm the body’s defense mechanism. So, the keto diet helps you to avoid inflammatory foods and helps strengthen your immune system as well.
Improves Brain Health
Ketones are a natural neuroprotective antioxidant that has been proven to prevent harmful Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) from damaging the brain. Ketones have been shown to increase mitochondrial efficiency and production, which helps to protect brain cells from strokes and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Improves Heart Health
A diet with more fats helps increase HDL good cholesterol and reduces LDL bad cholesterol. This ensures proper blood flow without increasing blood pressure or the risk of stroke or heart attacks.
Takeaway
There are plenty of other benefits to the keto diet, where it reduces the risk of cancer and reduces tumor growth, improves gut health, helps with migraine, better sleep, reduces acne, and gives you clear skin. If you are someone who is looking to lose weight to undergo surgery or lead a healthy life in general, then the keto diet is for you. Even with all these advantages, it is always best to consult with a physician to start a new diet regimen.
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