Keto For Severely Obese: Does It Work?

Obesity is a serious chronic disease that is often a risk factor for other chronic diseases. The keto diet has been shown to be an effective weight loss diet for obese patients. It is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet that lowers insulin levels, increases fat burning, and reduces appetite.

The keto diet has been shown to reduce body weight and body mass index in obese patients. It also decreases levels of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose while increasing levels of HDL cholesterol. Furthermore, administering a keto diet for a relatively long period did not produce any significant side effects in patients.

However, the keto diet is not suitable for everyone and should be done under medical supervision. It may also be hard to stick to and can cause short-term side effects such as keto flu, which includes poor energy and mental function, increased hunger, sleep issues, nausea, digestive discomfort, and poor exercise performance.

Ketogenic diets can help severely obese people lose weight

Obesity is a growing epidemic worldwide, with over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women aged 20 and over affected by obesity in 2008. Obesity is a risk factor for a number of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and certain types of cancers.

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet. It works by lowering insulin levels, producing ketones, and increasing fat burning. Ketogenic diets are extremely effective for lowering insulin levels, especially for people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.

Ketogenic Diets and Weight Loss

There is evidence that ketogenic diets can help with weight loss. They may help you lose fat, preserve muscle mass, and improve many markers of disease. Some studies have suggested that a ketogenic diet may be more effective than a low-fat diet for weight loss, even after matching the total calorie intake.

In one older study, people on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those on a low-calorie, low-fat diet. Triglyceride and HDL (good) cholesterol levels also improved. Another 2007 study found that the low-carb group lost 15.2 pounds, while the low-fat group lost only 4.6 pounds over 3 months.

• Higher protein intake: Some ketogenic diets lead to an increase in protein intake, which has many weight loss benefits.
• Gluconeogenesis: Your body converts fat and protein into carbs for fuel, burning many additional calories each day.
• Appetite suppressant: Ketogenic diets help you feel full, which is supported by positive changes in hunger hormones, including leptin and ghrelin.
• Improved insulin sensitivity: Ketogenic diets can drastically improve insulin sensitivity, which can help improve fuel utilization and metabolism.
• Decreased fat storage: Some research suggests ketogenic diets may reduce lipogenesis, the process of converting sugar into fat.
• Increased fat burning: Several studies have found that ketogenic diets may slightly increase the amount of fat you burn during rest, daily activity, and exercise.

A Ketogenic Diet and Metabolic Diseases

Metabolic syndrome describes five common risk factors for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease:

• High waist-to-hip ratio (excess belly fat)
• High levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
• High blood sugar levels
• High blood pressure

Ketogenic diets can improve many aspects of metabolic syndrome. They are extremely effective for lowering insulin levels, especially for people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. In one older study, after only 2 weeks on a ketogenic diet, insulin sensitivity improved by 75% and blood sugar dropped from 7.5 mmol/l to 6.2 mmol/l.

Impact on Metabolic Disease

There are several key factors that explain the drastic effects of the ketogenic diet on markers of metabolic disease:

• Fewer carbs: A high-carb diet can constantly elevate blood sugar and insulin levels, which can decrease the body's ability to use insulin efficiently.
• Decreased insulin resistance: Insulin resistance can cause health issues like inflammation, high triglyceride levels, and fat gain.
• Ketone bodies: Ketone bodies may help protect against some diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and epilepsy.
• Inflammation: The ketogenic diet can drastically reduce chronic inflammation, which is linked to metabolic syndrome and various diseases.
• Fat loss: This diet promotes the loss of body fat, especially unhealthy abdominal fat.
• Restore normal insulin function: Research has shown that healthy insulin function can fight inflammation, while poor insulin function can increase it.

How to Follow a Ketogenic Diet

If you want to try a ketogenic diet, follow these basic rules:

• Eliminate carbs: Check food labels and aim for 20 to 50 grams of carbs or fewer per day.
• Stock up on staples: Buy meat, cheese, whole eggs, nuts, oils, avocados, oily fish, and cream, as these are now staples in your diet.
• Eat your veggies: Fat sources are high in calories, so base each meal on low-carb veggies to help keep you feeling full.
• Experiment: A ketogenic diet can still be interesting and tasty. You can even make ketogenic pasta, bread, muffins, brownies, puddings, ice cream, etc.
• Build a plan: It can be hard to find low-carb meals for when you're on the go. As with any diet, it's important to have a plan and go-to snacks or meals.
• Find what you love: Experiment until you find the ultimate keto diet for you.
• Track progress: Take photos, measurements, and monitor your weight every 3 to 4 weeks.
• Replace fluids: Make sure you're drinking enough water and getting proper amounts of electrolytes, like sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
• Be consistent: There's no shortcut to success. With any diet, consistency is the most important factor.

Should You Try a Ketogenic Diet?

No single diet is suitable for everyone. It can benefit people with obesity or who have a higher chance of developing metabolic syndrome, but it's not suitable for everyone. For example, it's not suitable for people with disorders of fat metabolism, carnitine deficiency, or pyruvate kinase deficiency.

Additionally, a ketogenic diet can also be hard to stick to. If you can't follow it but still like the idea of a low-carb diet, then carb cycling or a standard low-carb diet may be a better option for you. A ketogenic diet may also not be the best option for elite athletes or those wishing to build large amounts of muscle.

In order to get the most out of a ketogenic diet, you must eat high-fat foods and limit your carb intake to fewer than 30–50 grams per day. If followed with medical supervision, it can help you lose weight, and it may enhance your overall health. It may reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other aspects of metabolic disease.

They can also help manage metabolic disease

Ketogenic diets have been shown to be effective in the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases. Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and certain types of cancers. The ketogenic diet has been shown to be effective in inducing weight loss and improving several cardiovascular risk parameters. The ketogenic diet has also been found to be effective in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It has also been shown to improve the lipid profile of patients and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Ketogenic diets can improve insulin sensitivity

Ketogenic diets have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in severely obese individuals. This is achieved through a reduction in visceral fat, which is associated with an increased availability of bioactive lipids, such as fatty acyl-CoAs, diacylglycerides, and ceramides that induce subclinical inflammation and insulin resistance. Additionally, a ketogenic diet can improve insulin sensitivity by reducing hepatic triacylglycerol, which improves hepatic insulin resistance, reducing excessive hepatic glucose production and compensatory hyperinsulinemia. Furthermore, the low availability of dietary carbohydrates decreases intestinal absorption of monosaccharides, leading to reduced postprandial glycemia, decreased insulin requirements from the pancreas, and lower insulin levels and insulin-to-glucagon ratio.

They can reduce appetite and food intake

The ketogenic diet can reduce appetite and food intake in severely obese people. This is a fundamental feature of the diet and contributes to the robust weight loss that is typically demonstrated.

The brain plays a major role in our perceived hunger. It is responsible for taking in signals from the body's systems to regulate food intake by telling us when we need to eat and when we need to stop eating. However, this process is often impaired in obese people, leading to increased calorie consumption.

Hunger is a great limiting factor in the success of any diet. Numerous studies have shown that as we decrease our caloric intake, our perceived hunger increases. The same is true following weight loss. Typically, as we lower calories and subsequently lose weight, the body responds by stimulating hunger hormones to facilitate weight gain and homeostasis. Research has found that hunger hormones can remain elevated for a year or longer following weight loss.

The ketogenic diet is typically accompanied by caloric restriction. However, long-term ketogenic dieters often experience reductions in appetite and hunger. Many studies have found that subjects who are allowed to consume as much food as they like, as long as carbohydrates are restricted, still voluntarily consume less food. This is because once adapted to a ketogenic diet, we experience a reduction in our perceived hunger.

There are several theories as to why this occurs. One popular theory is that fat is more calorie-dense (9 calories per gram versus 4 calories for carbs and protein), contributing to satiety. While this may be true, there seems to be something else going on.

Research is now finding that it may be ketones themselves that are affecting appetite regulation. One major mechanism lies in stabilising blood glucose levels, which can be a key contributor to inhibiting hunger stimulation. Another mechanism is ghrelin reduction. Being in a state of ketosis has been found to suppress the weight-loss-induced rise in ghrelin (the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger).

A third mechanism involves cells in our brain known as astrocytes. Astrocytes can produce ketones just like the liver, but from the fact that we eat. These ketones are then taken up by the hypothalamus to be used for energy. Recent research has found that when this occurs, a protein (CD36), which is responsible for controlling our food intake in the short term, is inhibited. This means that the fat we eat may be interacting with our brain to control our eating.

Ketogenic diets can be hard to stick to

The ketogenic diet is a popular weight-loss strategy that involves strictly limiting carbohydrates, cutting out many fruits and vegetables, and consuming mostly fat. While this strategy makes sense for some people, particularly those with specific health conditions, it can be challenging to adhere to for various reasons.

Highly restrictive nature

The keto diet is highly restrictive, and dieters must cut out almost all carbohydrates from their meals. This means saying goodbye to

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