Do not eat rice buns, replaced by large fish and meat, and even “tons of tons of tons” to drink oil, what is this operation? In recent years, a method of weight loss known as the ketogenic diet has become rapidly popular. It does not need to diet, do not have to high-intensity exercise, only need to eat less carbohydrates eat more fat, you can easily achieve the purpose of weight loss.
Many of my friends have jumped on the bandwagon. A recent study, however, may be pouring cold water on this highly sought-after diet. The study examined the effects of ketogenic diet use in the treatment of serious diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and came to an unexpected conclusion: the popular ketogenic diet is harmful to most people!
The Ketogenic Diet’s “High Times”
The ketogenic diet is a dietary pattern that is high in fat, appropriate protein, but very low in carbohydrates.
While carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy in a normal diet, the ketogenic diet is designed to force the body to switch to another “fuel” – fat. When carbohydrate intake is reduced, the body will promote the breakdown of fats to produce ketone bodies, which serve as a source of energy for the body to function, and the body enters a state of “ketosis”. The production of ketone bodies requires a tightly controlled intake of carbohydrates and protein, as well as a high intake of fat.
The ketogenic diet was developed in the 1820s to treat refractory epilepsy in children. There is now conclusive evidence that the ketogenic diet can reduce seizures in children. Slowly, it was realized that the ketogenic diet had another role to play: to help with weight loss. This dietary strategy is gradually gaining popularity.
When on a ketogenic diet, the body is forced into a state of “simulated starvation” due to low carbohydrate intake and low blood sugar sources. At this point, a large amount of body fat is broken down to provide the body with energy, which ultimately puts the body into a high rate of fat burning for the purpose of weight loss.
However, because the ketogenic diet is difficult to maintain, once a craving “steals” substandard carbohydrates and proteins, the ketogenic diet will be broken. Previous studies have also shown that patients on ketogenic or very-low-carbohydrate diets lose weight faster than participants on traditional low-fat diets or even the Mediterranean diet, however, the difference in weight loss seems to disappear over time. And ketogenic diets are often accompanied by significant side effects, including fatigue, gastrointestinal dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, and stunting.
Still, encouraged by the successes in treating childhood epilepsy, scientists are curious if the ketogenic diet might be effective for other brain-based disorders-such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, sleep disorders, autism, and even brain cancer?
It is also true that some studies have confirmed that the ketogenic diet can reverse certain diseases.
A study by the American Academy of Neurology found that there may be some benefits of a ketogenic diet for certain people who have completed a brain tumor treatment program (radiation and chemotherapy). Glucose causes cancer cells to divide and multiply, and based on the theory that cancer cells cannot utilize ketones for energy, the research team conducted an eight-week ketogenic diet treatment program in which subjects were instructed to follow a keto diet five days a week, followed by two days of intermittent fasting. The results showed some positive changes in the body and brain of most participants during the ketogenic cycle.
An article published in Nature in 2018 had attracted a lot of attention, which claimed that the ketogenic diet could inhibit the insulin feedback pathway, improve insulin-induced resistance to the PI3K inhibitor class of anticancer drugs, and drastically increase the efficacy of the drugs. However, after analyzing the study in detail, it is not difficult to find that the ketogenic diet is only an adjunct to certain cancer treatments, rather than the primary therapy.
Gradually falling off the “pedestal”
Staying on a ketogenic diet for the long term can be a challenge because food choices are limited, but adverse reactions are common.
In a review article published in Frontiers in Nutrition in August 2021, the most comprehensive assessment of the ketogenic diet to date weighed the pros and cons of this dietary strategy in relation to chronic disease and concluded that the ketogenic diet may cause long-term damage to health.
The study showed that the ketogenic diet increased the risk of developing a variety of diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, rather than the benefits it might bring.
The study resulted in five key findings:
For many patients, a ketogenic diet raises levels of the bad cholesterol, LDL-C, and therefore may increase the overall risk of developing chronic disease. Similarly, people with kidney disease may experience kidney failure more quickly when consuming a high-protein ketogenic diet. Even when pregnant women supplement with folic acid, their babies face potential neural tube defects.
Not only that, but studies have also found that ketogenic diets, by restricting the amount of carbohydrates, can bring the overall dietary structure into a more inclined intake of foods that increase cancer risk. For example, the types of foods commonly found in ketogenic diets, such as red meat, processed meats, and saturated fats, have been linked to other serious diseases.
And reduced intake of high-carbohydrate fruits, vegetables, and certain fiber-rich foods on a ketogenic diet can lead to unwanted side effects such as fatigue and constipation, as well as vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
That’s why the study’s authors point out that while there is precedent for ketogenic diets being used to treat disease, the long-term health effects of such diets are unclear. This is because many ketogenic foods are, in fact, associated with an increased risk of heart disease and cancer.
The ketogenic diet has also previously been shown to improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, at least in the short term. But the controversy becomes significant when the effects on cholesterol levels are considered. Some studies have shown that some patients start out with elevated cholesterol levels, but their cholesterol drops after a few months. However, there are no long-term studies analyzing its long-term effects on diabetes and high cholesterol.
Therefore, a one-size-fits-all diet does not make sense with this current limited theoretical guidance. A balanced intake of different types of food without going to extremes is the right way to eat.
In addition, according to a prospective analysis of over 10 years of follow-up data from nearly 200,000 people from the UK Biobank, the relationship between a large number of nutrients, such as carbohydrates and fats, and health conditions such as all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease is non-linear, and so the so-called “healthy diet” should not be generalized, but rather should be adapted according to the current diet according to the advice of the doctor. The so-called “healthy diet” cannot be generalized, but should be adjusted according to the current recipes as prescribed by the doctor, and the detailed composition should not be ignored.
In conclusion, a healthy diet is only as good as the right combination of ingredients and can be detrimental if it is not chosen appropriately. To a large extent, most diseases are related to diet. Adjusting the dietary pattern and improving the diet is a shortcut to prevent diseases.
As for weight reduction, we can always take in less energy and exercise more, after all, health is the most important thing.