Blood Sugar Control: Keto's Low-Sugar Secret

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that can help manage blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. When the body is deprived of carbohydrates, it enters a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat instead of glucose for energy. This leads to lower blood sugar spikes and improved insulin sensitivity. While the keto diet can be beneficial for blood sugar management, it's important to monitor blood sugar and ketone levels to ensure they stay within a healthy range and avoid potential risks such as diabetic ketoacidosis.

Ketogenic diets can be a great tool for managing glucose levels

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb eating plan that can be a powerful tool for managing blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of diabetes and other health issues. Here's how it works and some tips for getting started.

Understanding Blood Glucose

Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is a critical marker for determining an individual's risk for diabetes and other health issues. When we consume starchy carbs or sugar, they are broken down into glucose, which enters our bloodstream. While blood glucose is necessary for survival, high levels can lead to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other life-threatening conditions.

The Link Between Blood Glucose and Ketosis

The ketogenic diet is designed to shift the body's primary energy source from glucose to fat. By severely limiting carbohydrate intake, the body is forced to burn fat for energy instead of relying on glucose. This shift can help stabilize blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity.

Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet for Blood Glucose Management

The ketogenic diet has been shown to have several benefits for managing blood glucose:

• Decreased blood glucose levels: By reducing carbohydrate intake, the ketogenic diet helps minimize blood sugar spikes, leading to more stable and healthy blood glucose levels.
• Improved insulin sensitivity: Physical activity and weight loss, which are often associated with the ketogenic diet, increase insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of insulin resistance.
• Reduced medication requirements: In some cases, the ketogenic diet may reduce the need for insulin or other diabetes medications.

Tips for Getting Started

• Consult a healthcare professional: Before starting the ketogenic diet, especially if you have a medical condition like diabetes, it's important to speak with a doctor or dietitian to ensure it's safe and appropriate for you.
• Monitor blood glucose levels: Regularly testing blood glucose levels can help individuals understand how their body responds to different foods and make informed dietary choices.
• Focus on healthy fats: When following the ketogenic diet, prioritize heart-healthy fats found in foods like olives, olive oil, nuts, and nut butters.
• Individualize carbohydrate intake: Work with a healthcare professional to determine the right amount of carbohydrates for your specific needs and health goals.
• Be cautious of potential risks: While the ketogenic diet can be beneficial, it may also lead to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) if carbohydrate intake is restricted too much. It's important to monitor blood glucose levels closely and make adjustments as needed.

In conclusion, the ketogenic diet can be a valuable tool for managing blood glucose levels and improving overall health. By reducing carbohydrate intake and shifting the body's energy source to fat, individuals can stabilize blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce their risk of diabetes and related health issues. However, it's important to approach the ketogenic diet with caution and under the guidance of a healthcare professional to ensure safe and effective results.

A well-crafted keto diet may be more effective than low-fat diets for treating obesity and diabetes

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that shares similarities with the Atkins and low-carb diets. 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 your body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs.

Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is a primary marker for determining diabetes risk. The higher your blood sugar, the higher your risk of developing diabetes and other life-threatening conditions such as heart disease.

The keto diet can cause significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels. This is because, on a keto diet, your body converts fat, instead of sugar, into energy. As a result, your blood sugar levels can decrease.

Many mainstream health organizations recommend a low-fat diet to prevent health problems, especially heart disease. A low-fat diet restricts dietary fat to less than 30% of total calories.

However, studies have been challenging the low-fat approach, arguing that a low-carb keto diet may be more effective for treating and preventing obesity and other conditions.

For example, a 2003 study by Samaha et al. found that individuals with severe obesity who followed a low-carb keto diet lost about three times more weight than those on a low-fat diet. The keto group also showed improvements in several biomarkers, including fasting blood glucose levels.

Another study by Yancy et al. (2004) compared a low-carb keto diet to a low-fat diet in 120 individuals with overweight and high blood lipids. The keto group lost significantly more weight and had greater improvements in blood triglycerides and HDL (good) cholesterol.

Tips for following a keto diet

If you decide to try a keto diet, it's important to base your meals mostly on whole, single-ingredient foods. Some healthy options include:

• Meat: red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, and turkey
• Fatty fish: salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel
• Eggs: pastured or omega-3 whole eggs
• Butter and cream: grass-fed butter and heavy cream
• Cheese: unprocessed cheeses like cheddar, goat, cream, blue, or mozzarella
• Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.
• Healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil
• Avocados: whole avocados or freshly made guacamole
• Low-carb vegetables: green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.

It's also important to monitor your blood sugar and ketone levels, especially if you have diabetes, to ensure that the keto diet is not causing any negative effects. Speak with your doctor before making any drastic dietary changes.

The body can produce its own glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis

During glycolysis, glucose is split into smaller molecules called pyruvate, which are then used as energy throughout the body. Gluconeogenesis ensures that, in the absence of glucose from glycolysis, the body can maintain critical levels of glucose when carbohydrates are not present in the diet.

Glucose is the body's preferred source of fuel because it can be quickly used for energy. Even at rest, our bodies need energy to function. For example, the brain alone uses as much as 100 grams of glucose per day. When we are active, our bodies (especially the working muscles) need even more.

The body can produce glucose from lactate, pyruvate, glycerol (a type of fat), and certain amino acids (proteins). The process of gluconeogenesis primarily takes place in the liver, where these precursors are converted into glucose.

Gluconeogenesis can occur when following a low-carb diet, during periods of fasting (such as when sleeping), starvation, intense exercise, or when consuming excess protein. It is the body's way of providing energy when glucose is not supplied through dietary means.

The ketogenic diet, a popular low-carb, high-fat eating plan, promotes gluconeogenesis. This is because gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis are similar chemical processes that provide energy when there is a lack of carbohydrates in the diet. However, ketogenesis produces ketones to be used as fuel instead of glucose.

While gluconeogenesis is an important process for maintaining energy levels, it is essential to note that a prolonged state of gluconeogenesis may not be desirable. This is because, to maintain glucose levels, the body may break down muscle tissue to obtain the necessary amino acids. Therefore, a balance between gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis is crucial for overall health and energy homeostasis.

The relationship between ketones and glucose is inverse

Glucose, or blood sugar, is a simple sugar that circulates in the blood and is necessary for survival. Our bodies break down carbohydrates into glucose, which is then used as fuel for energy. However, when glucose availability drops, the body switches to using glycogen (stored glucose) and eventually starts producing its own glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis.

Ketosis occurs when glucose availability drops so low that the body doesn't have enough to use for energy. In this state, the body starts breaking down fatty acids to produce ketone bodies, which become the primary source of energy. This process is regulated by hormones such as insulin, glucagon, and epinephrine. In a person without diabetes, ketone production is a normal response to starvation, and blood sugar levels remain stable.

On a keto diet, which is a very low-carbohydrate diet, blood glucose levels tend to remain more steady and stable. This is because carbohydrates have the most significant impact on glucose levels. However, it's important to note that even non-carbohydrate foods can affect blood glucose levels. For example, certain non-caloric sweeteners and lack of exercise can spike blood sugar levels, while alcohol can lower them.

Monitoring blood glucose levels on a keto diet can provide valuable insights into how the body responds to specific foods and activities. It can also help identify trigger foods that may kick you out of ketosis. While there is no specific optimal blood sugar level for keto, keeping fasting blood sugar levels between 70 mg/dL and 85 mg/dL is generally considered healthy. Higher fasting blood sugar levels increase the risk of diabetes and other health issues.

A low-carb diet helps stabilise blood sugars

A low-carb diet can be an effective way to manage blood sugar levels, particularly for people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. When you eat carbohydrates, your body converts them into glucose (blood sugar) which your cells use for energy. On a low-carb diet, your body needs to get its fuel from another source. First, it uses up stored glucose, and then it starts burning fat for energy. This process creates ketones, which become a central energy source for very low-carb diets like the ketogenic diet.

The American Diabetes Association recommends a low-carb diet for people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, as it can help them to easily reduce the amount of glucose available to the body. The recommended daily intake of carbs is between 25% and 45% of total calories. For context, the average American diet consists of roughly 50% carbohydrates.

When you reduce your carb intake, you lower your insulin levels. Insulin is the hormone that helps to stabilise blood sugar by removing it from the bloodstream and facilitating its storage. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body either can't use insulin effectively or doesn't produce enough of it, leading to high blood sugar levels.

A low-carb diet can help to keep blood sugar levels stable, reducing the risk of hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). It can also aid weight loss, which is an important part of diabetes care for people with type 2 diabetes.

Low-carb diets can be hard to follow and may not be suitable for everyone. They can be very restrictive, and some people may find it difficult to stick to them long-term. They can also cause side effects such as constipation, diarrhoea, headaches, and changes in mood or cognitive function.

The Mediterranean diet is a less restrictive low-carb diet that has been found to be similarly effective to the ketogenic diet in controlling blood glucose levels. This diet emphasises vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, and fish.

Tips for following a low-carb diet

• Consult your healthcare provider before starting a low-carb diet, especially if you have a medical condition or are taking medication.
• Monitor your blood sugar levels regularly to ensure they remain stable.
• Focus on whole, unprocessed foods and include plenty of high-fibre options.
• Distribute your carb intake evenly throughout the day to prevent large dips and spikes in blood sugar.
• Stay hydrated and be mindful of electrolyte imbalances, as the body can become dehydrated when it stores carbohydrates.

Frequently asked questions