Keto Plus Diet: How Does It Work?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that aims to force the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. By drastically reducing carbohydrate intake, the body enters a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat and turns it into ketones in the liver, which can be used for energy. The keto diet is advertised as a weight-loss solution, but it is also used to help reduce epileptic seizures in children and may have benefits for certain health conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease. However, it is not suitable for everyone and should be done under medical supervision due to potential side effects and health risks.

How does keto work for weight loss?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that is advertised as a weight-loss solution. It involves drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it becomes very efficient at burning fat for energy.

On the keto diet, your daily intake of calories usually comes from 70% to 80% fat, 10% to 20% protein, and 5% to 10% carbohydrates. This means eating high-fat foods such as meat, full-fat dairy, and healthy fats like olive oil, while avoiding starchy foods like potatoes, corn, peas, lentils, grains, and most fruits.

The keto diet works by switching your body's primary fuel source from burning glucose (derived from carbohydrates) to burning fat. When there isn't enough glucose in the blood, the body starts breaking down consumed fat and body fat into chemicals called ketones, which can be used as an alternate fuel. This process is called ketosis.

Some people do experience short-term weight loss on the keto diet, but it's unclear how effective it is long-term. Additionally, as with all restrictive diets, there is a good chance that the weight will be regained once the diet is stopped. The keto diet also comes with certain health risks, such as nutrient deficiencies, liver and kidney problems, constipation, and fuzzy thinking or mood swings.

Before starting any diet, it is important to consult a healthcare professional to determine a healthy weight range and the best approach to achieve it.

How does keto work for diabetes?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that can be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes. The diet involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it becomes very efficient at burning fat for energy.

For people with diabetes, the keto diet can help maintain blood sugar levels at a low but healthy level, minimising large fluctuations in blood sugar. This is because the diet restricts carbohydrates, which turn into sugar and can cause blood sugar spikes. By switching the body's primary energy source from carbohydrates to fat, the keto diet can lead to a reduction in blood sugar levels and an improvement in insulin sensitivity.

Several studies have found that the keto diet can lead to significant improvements in blood sugar control and weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes. One study found that participants who followed the keto diet lost an average of 26.2 pounds (11.9 kg) over a 2-year period. Additionally, they experienced improved blood sugar management and a reduced need for blood sugar medications.

However, it is important to note that the keto diet can be challenging to maintain in the long term due to its restrictive nature. It may also lead to some adverse side effects, including "keto flu", constipation or diarrhoea, leg cramps, and loss of energy. There is also a lack of evidence about the long-term safety and effectiveness of the keto diet, and it is not recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

Before starting the keto diet or any other dietary changes, it is essential to consult with a healthcare professional to ensure it is safe and appropriate for your individual needs.

How does keto work for epilepsy?

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has been used to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures. The diet forces the body to use a different type of fuel, namely ketone bodies—a type of fuel that the liver produces from stored fat. Typically, the body uses sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates as its main source of energy. However, when the body is deprived of glucose stores, it shifts to metabolising fat and fatty acids, producing ketones in the process.

The keto diet reduces the amount of glutamate in the brain and enhances the synthesis of GABA, making it less likely for a seizure to occur. The diet can also reduce inflammation in the brain, which, when caused by infections like meningitis, encephalitis, or autoimmune disorders, can trigger seizures.

In clinical trials involving patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy, the keto diet reduced the number of seizures by 50% or more in half of the patients. The number of patients who became seizure-free after adopting the keto diet was much smaller, with some studies reporting it to be as low as 0% and others closer to 20%.

The keto diet has been shown to be particularly helpful for some epilepsy conditions, including infantile spasms, Rett syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex, Dravet syndrome, Doose syndrome, and GLUT-1 deficiency. It is usually used in children with seizures that do not respond to medications and is carefully monitored by a physician and a dietitian.

The classic keto diet, used as far back as the 1920s, is a four-to-one ratio of fat to carbohydrates plus protein, amounting to about 90% of calories coming from fat. A modified Atkins diet is also used, which limits net carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day without restricting protein and fat intake. Typically, about 60% to 70% of daily calorie intake comes from fat in this modified version.

How does keto work for Alzheimer's?

The keto diet is a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate diet. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where the body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs.

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases. It is caused by damage to neurons, or cells in the brain, that disrupts inter-cell communication. The brain relies on glucose as its primary source of energy, but in people with Alzheimer's, the brain is less able to use glucose for fuel. However, the brain can still use ketones for energy.

The theory is that if the brain receives ketones as energy instead of glucose, as it does on a keto diet, it might help restore some cognitive function. A 2020 systematic review of 10 separate ketogenic therapy studies on patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment found improved general cognition with improved episodic and secondary memory. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 152 people with moderate Alzheimer's, a ketone agent extracted from medium-chain triglyceride oil was given as a medication along with a normal diet. The degree of memory improvement was significant in the study group who had genetic indications of Alzheimer's and was positively correlated with the blood levels of the ketone agent.

Another way the keto diet might help slow dementia is by reducing inflammation. As we age, levels of inflammation tend to increase, and dementia is associated with inflammation. However, there is evidence that the keto diet might reduce inflammation.

While the results of these studies are encouraging, more research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of the keto diet in treating Alzheimer's disease.

How does keto work for cancer?

The keto diet is a very high-fat, low-carbohydrate way of eating. Typically, a keto diet involves eating as much as 90% of your diet in fats, with little or no carbs from foods like pasta, beans, and fruits. This forces the body to burn fat instead of carbs as its main source of energy, a process called ketosis.

The keto diet is being explored as a potential additional treatment for cancer. The theory is that cancer feeds on the sugar you eat, but a high-fat diet starves the tumors. Studies on mice and small human trials have shown that a keto diet may:

• Protect healthy cells from damage caused by chemotherapy or radiation treatment
• Help anti-cancer drugs work faster or better
• Ease inflammation, which can encourage cancer growth
• Help prevent weight gain during and after chemotherapy for breast cancer

However, it is important to note that there have not been any large studies in humans yet, so the effectiveness of keto diets against cancer is not yet known. Some studies have also suggested that a keto diet may worsen cancer by promoting tumor growth, and that very low-fat diets have shown to lower the chances that certain types of breast cancer may come back.

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