Keto's Long-Term Health Benefits: What's The Verdict?

The ketogenic or keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has gained massive popularity in recent years, with many celebrities endorsing it as a weight-loss solution. While it can be effective for short-term weight loss, there are concerns about its long-term health effects, and experts advise caution.

The keto diet requires a drastic reduction in carbohydrate intake, limiting carbs to 20-50 grams per day, and a high consumption of fat, with 75% of calories coming from fat. This shift in metabolism can lead to a state called ketosis, where the body breaks down ketone bodies, a type of fuel produced by the liver from fat, instead of glucose from carbohydrates.

Proponents of the keto diet claim that it can lead to weight loss, lower blood sugar, and improved digestion and blood sugar control. However, health experts warn that the long-term health effects of the keto diet are not yet fully understood, and there are concerns about potential negative consequences.

Some risks associated with long-term keto dieting include vitamin or mineral deficiencies due to reduced intake of fruits and vegetables, negative impacts on athletic performance, weight regain after relaxing the strict diet guidelines, damage to blood vessels, and increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and early death. Additionally, the keto diet can be difficult to maintain, and strict diets like keto could lead to social isolation or disordered eating.

While some individuals may find benefits in the keto diet, it is not recommended as a long-term solution for everyone due to potential health risks. It is always advisable to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new diet, especially one as restrictive as keto.

Weight loss and health benefits

The keto diet is a popular weight-loss method, but it is also a medical diet that comes with serious risks. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that leads to the generation of ketones, a type of chemical that the liver produces when it breaks down fats. While a ketogenic diet improves certain health conditions, it also has some pro-inflammatory effects.

Weight Loss

The keto diet can be effective for weight loss, and there are dozens of keto weight-loss studies to support this. One 2003 study showed that obese women lost more weight on a ketogenic diet than a calorie-restricted, low-fat diet. Another study showed that a ketogenic diet significantly reduced the body weight and body mass index of obese patients.

Health Benefits

The keto diet has been shown to have several health benefits, including:

• Regulating hunger hormones, leading to less hunger and less overeating
• Lowering blood sugar and improving blood sugar control
• Helping to treat or prevent various neurodegenerative diseases
• Reducing the risk of certain cancers
• Improving digestion
• Reducing the risk of heart disease by decreasing LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol
• Lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes

Long-Term Health Risks

Despite the weight loss and health benefits, there are also some potential long-term health risks associated with the keto diet. These include:

• Vitamin or mineral deficiencies due to the restriction of fruits and vegetables
• Negative impact on athletic performance as the body may not have enough glucose for high-intensity activities
• Weight regain after relaxing the strict keto guidelines
• Damage to blood vessels from sudden blasts of glucose
• Increased risk of atrial fibrillation, which can lead to blood clots, stroke, and heart failure
• Increased risk of early death, especially when consuming large amounts of meat and dairy
• Constipation
• Fuzzy thinking and mood swings
• Kidney problems
• Liver problems

Nutrient deficiencies

The keto diet typically involves eliminating or reducing whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which are important sources of micronutrients. This can result in deficiencies of selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins B and C. B vitamins, for example, are necessary for turning food into energy, while calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are crucial for strong bones.

Additionally, the keto diet may be lower in fiber due to the elimination of whole grains, which can lead to constipation.

To mitigate these risks, it is important to be aware of any existing nutrient deficiencies and ensure adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals, either through diet or supplementation.

Athletic performance

A ketogenic diet is a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake, and replacing it with fat. The near elimination of carbohydrates puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, which forces the body to become very efficient at burning fat for energy.

The Benefits

A ketogenic diet has been shown to provide health benefits for those suffering from certain medical conditions, such as epilepsy, obesity, type II diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome. It can also lead to weight loss and improve overall health.

For endurance athletes, a ketogenic diet may lead to improved body composition and performance over longer distances. This is because a ketogenic diet can increase fat burning during submaximal exercise, which could mean lower levels of body fat and a better power-to-weight ratio.

The Drawbacks

Switching to a ketogenic diet can lead to side effects such as poor energy and mental function, sleep issues, nausea, and digestive discomfort. It may also be difficult to sustain over long periods, and food choices are much more limited, which can increase the risk of certain micronutrient deficiencies.

Additionally, athletes involved in high-intensity, short-duration sports might see drops in performance while on a ketogenic diet. This is because a ketogenic diet can impair high-intensity exercise performance and lead to early onset fatigue during short-duration activities.

Recommendations

• The main benefit of a ketogenic diet seems to be increased fat burning and enhanced weight loss.
• A ketogenic diet can be an option during periods of low-intensity, base training, but it is not recommended for race events of less than three hours' duration as it may harm maximal performance.
• It is important to be keto-adapted to obtain the physical benefits, which can take about 3-5 weeks or more.
• More research is needed on how a ketogenic diet impacts athletic performance, particularly for endurance athletes.

Weight regain

The keto diet is often used as a quick fix for weight loss, but it is not a sustainable long-term solution. Many people who lose weight on keto regain it when they transition to a less strict form of the diet or resume a normal diet. This is because the keto diet is extremely restrictive and difficult to adhere to for an extended period.

When people first start the keto diet, they often lose weight quickly. However, this weight loss is not sustainable, and they may regain the weight—and often more—when they stop following the diet. This is because the keto diet is very restrictive, and it is challenging to maintain such a low-carbohydrate intake over the long term.

The keto diet is also not a balanced diet, as it involves cutting out or severely restricting many healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies, and it may be challenging to get enough fiber on the keto diet. As a result, people who stop following the keto diet may find that they gain weight more easily and have a harder time losing weight again in the future.

In addition, the weight regain associated with the keto diet can be frustrating and demotivating, leading to a cycle of yo-yo dieting, which is linked to a higher risk of early death. Furthermore, the type of weight that is regained is important to consider. When people first start the keto diet, they often lose muscle mass in addition to fat tissue. When they regain weight, they may gain back more fat and less lean muscle, which can affect their metabolism and make it even more difficult to lose weight in the future.

Therefore, while the keto diet may be effective for short-term weight loss, it is not a sustainable long-term solution. It is essential to consult a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before starting any new diet, especially a restrictive one like the keto diet.

Heart disease

The ketogenic (keto) diet is a high-fat, high-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet. While it can lead to dramatic short-term weight loss, there is little evidence of its long-term benefits. In fact, the keto diet may be harmful to heart health.

The keto diet can lead to a rise in cholesterol levels, specifically LDL cholesterol, which is known as "bad" cholesterol. This can lead to atherosclerosis, a build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease. A study by the University of British Columbia found that a keto-like diet was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, over a nearly 12-year period.

Additionally, the extreme carbohydrate restrictions of the keto diet may lead people to avoid fruits, whole grains, and legumes, resulting in a loss of dietary fiber that is important for heart health. The vitamin K in leafy greens, which are encouraged on the keto diet, may also interfere with the anti-clotting drug warfarin taken by some heart patients.

For people who are already at risk of heart disease, the keto diet may pose additional dangers. Heart failure specialist Dr. W.H. Wilson Tang cautions that the high levels of fat and protein consumed on the keto diet can be hard to monitor and may increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and a spike in LDL cholesterol.

While the keto diet may be tempting for its weight loss benefits, it is not a sustainable or heart-healthy option in the long term. A balanced diet with complex carbohydrates, unsaturated fats, and lean proteins is a better choice for maintaining cardiovascular health.

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