Advantages and Disadvantages of Ketogenic Diet

Dieting, whether it's for you or not: sooner or later almost all of us have encountered to it. After all, they fly all over you. It remains unclear which works or which does not. After different kind of diets like; Atkins diet, fat burner diet, vegan diet, vegetable diet and south beach diet, now it's time for ketogenic diet. In recent years, a new diet has been emerging that goes one step further: the keto diet. From top chefs to celebrities, many people swear by a ketogenic diet. What is the keto diet, where does it come from? And is this low-carb diet really as promising as its followers make it out to be? We have listed the pros and cons for you.

The Ketogenic Diet

A ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet in which the diet consists of at least 80% fats and a maximum of 20% proteins and carbohydrates. In comparison, a healthy, normal diet consists of about 40% to 60% carbohydrates, 20%-40% fat and 15%-20% protein. Fat becomes the main source of energy in the keto diet, while carbohydrates are in a normal diet. These carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which then enters the bloodstream and makes its way into the cells.

Advantages of Ketogenic Diet

Lose weight quickly without feeling limited in your food choices: after all, all 'tasty' things are allowed. Some swear by it, but there has also been a lot of criticism of a ketogenic diet lately. We'll take a closer look at the pros and cons of the extreme low-carb diet.

The keto diet has pros and cons. Listed below are some of the benefits.

• The ketogenic diet promotes rapid weight loss, and ketones reduce hunger.
• Ketosis helps reduce seizures and other neurological disorders.
• In some cases, acne is related to diet and blood sugar, so a low-carb diet reduces acne.
• People with type 2 diabetes may benefit from a keto diet as it increases insulin sensitivity.
• According to some studies, a ketogenic diet may reduce the risk of cancer and help treat cancer because ketosis causes more oxidative stress in cancer cells than in healthy cells.
• Eating keto can make for a healthier liver as the liver starts to burn fat and produce more folic acid under the influence of a keto diet.
• If mainly unsaturated fats are eaten, the keto diet can be a cholesterol-lowering diet.
• A keto diet may have a positive effect on women with PCOS.

Disadvantages of Ketogenic Diet

Yes, the keto diet provides fast weight loss, but this is often only in the short term. Because the diet is so extreme, over time almost everyone falls back into their old habits, and the old weight also comes back.

• In some cases, ketosis causes your body to get its energy from digesting muscle, and you lose muscle instead of fat. That was not the intention!
• The keto diet can have some serious side effects. Some of the negative side effects are:
• Hypoglycemia (too low blood sugar)
• Nutritional deficiencies (due to a lack of fruits and vegetables)
• Problems with bowel movements (due to a lack of fiber)
• Kidney problems (due to overload)
• Elevated cholesterol (due to the high amount of saturated fats)
• Tiredness and feeling absent (lack of sugars in the brain)
• Increased risk of cancer (due to the potentially high amounts of red meat)