Amanda Benko | Intern UAB School of Education – CHHS

The Ketogenic diet, typically known as the Keto diet, is a high-fat, sufficient-protein, and very minimal-carbohydrate diet. The diet works by imitating the metabolism of someone who is fasting to instigate the production of ketone (Zhu et al., 2022). Let us look at the advantages and disadvantages of the keto diet to determine whether the diet works or not.

The Keto diet works since it encompasses an individual restricting dietary carbohydrate, which is the body’s primary source of energy. This forces the body to break down stored fat and creates ketone bodies to use in place of carbohydrates (Dowis & Banga, 2021). The loss of body weight occurs since the body breaks down the body fats and also leads to loss of water weight when the carbohydrate diet is restricted. Nevertheless, the diet works only in the short term and is unreliable for long-term effects since restrictive diets such as keto can be challenging to keep up with. When a person discontinues the diet, there is a high probability that they may have an increase in weight. The Keto diet might also not work because when a person overeats fats and proteins, their total calories are beyond what the body can burn, meaning they may not lose weight.

The Keto diet can have health benefits for people who have chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, and heart disease. The diet can also be beneficial for people with particularly hard-to-treat kinds of epilepsy. Dowis & Banga (2021) affirm that the diet can also help to prevent degenerative and chronic diseases. However, people with these medical conditions should seek consultation with a physician before taking part in the Keto diet.

The keto diet involves restricting carbohydrate intake and consuming more fats and adequate proteins. The diet helps to lose weight but only in the short term. The diet is also advantageous for individuals with chronic health diseases, but they need to participate in the diet with the consultation of a physician. People I know have had great results, but like any lifestyle change, research, and when in doubt, consult a physician.

References:

Dowis, K., & Banga, S. (2021). The potential health benefits of the ketogenic diet: A narrative review. Nutrients, 13(5), 1654. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/5/1654

Zhu, H., Bi, D., Zhang, Y., Kong, C., Du, J., Wu, X., … & Qin, H. (2022). Ketogenic diet for human diseases: the underlying mechanisms and potential for clinical implementations. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 7(1), 11. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-021-00831-w