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Some people practice a diet for aesthetics while others do it for their health. When one diet hits both reasons, it is worth sticking to. Such is the case of the ketogenic diet.
A ketogenic diet allows the body to use a different type of fuel for energy. Instead of using sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates, the Keto diet leans of ketone bodies ( a fuel type produced by the liver from stored fat.) When a ketogenic diet is sustained, it enters a metabolic state called ketosis.
Studies have suggested that a high-fat and low-carb diet such as the ketogenic diet is great for many health conditions. Here are some of the conditions that benefit when the body undergoes ketosis:
Epilepsy and seizure disorders
Based on research, seizures from 50% of epilepsy patients improve after following the classic ketogenic diet.
Another research suggests that ketosis helps in the reduction of seizure frequency in children. About half of the children with seizures unresponsive to any medications almost immediately end the activity of seizure when their body enters ketosis.
The ketogenic diet is one of the treatments medically-accepted for chronic seizures in epilepsy and other epileptic disorders like Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.
Alzheimer’s disease
Evidence shows that by changing the energy fuel of the body from mainly sugar to ketones may have significant brain health benefits, even in the treatment of Alzheimer’s.
Ketones boost the energy levels of the brain by upping the energy powerhouses (mitochondria). An increase in the number of mitochondria in brain cells is thought to help in learning improvement and memory ability that can lead to a better quality of life for people with AD.
Diabetes
A study shows that people with diabetes have reduced blood sugar levels when they go on a ketogenic diet. The low-carb diet aids in the control of blood sugar along with other health benefits. This is experienced by people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Autism
According to a pilot study of 30 children with autism, improvement in symptoms was found in 18 of them after following a cyclical ketogenic diet for six months.
Obesity
Ketogenic diets are a very-low-carb diet that is more effective in weight loss compared to calorie-restricted or low-fat diets.
There was a 24-week study of men following the ketogenic diet. It resulted in them losing twice as much fat as the men who followed a low-fat diet.
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a nervous system disorder that reduces the ability of the cell to use sugar as a fuel source. A 2015 review shares that ketogenic diet has the potential to assist in the production of energy and the repair of cells for patients with multiple sclerosis.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
In Australia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease. NAFLD is linked to type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. Evidence proves that NAFLD improves by following a very low carb ketogenic diet.
A significant decrease in weight blood pressure and liver enzymes was found in a small study of obese men with metabolic syndrome and NAFLD when they followed a 12-week ketogenic diet.
These are the many health benefits that a ketogenic diet offers. To maintain optimum health and a well-balanced body, please visit Purity Chiropractic. Our goal is to provide natural, healthy, and drug-free alternative for your quest for the best health possible.
