Keto And Wahls: Exploring The Pros And Cons

Dr. Terry Wahls is a physician, professor at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and a leading expert on the power of nutrition to reverse autoimmune disease. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000, she radically transformed her diet and, within a year, no longer needed her wheelchair or cane and was back on her beloved bicycle. She credits her recovery to the year-round ketogenic regimen she utilized. However, since then, her experience and ongoing research have changed her perspective. She no longer recommends sustained ketogenic dieting, instead favouring what she terms metabolic resilience, stimulated by seasonal high-fat (potentially ketogenic) dieting supplemented by fasting strategies, while staying on a year-round low-glycemic paleo diet.

Dr Wahls' ketogenic diet

Dr. Terry Wahls is a physician, a professor at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and an expert on the power of nutrition to reverse autoimmune disease. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 and confined to a wheelchair within a few years. However, she managed to reverse her symptoms and get out of her wheelchair by radically transforming her diet.

Dr. Wahls now follows a ketogenic diet herself to reverse her multiple sclerosis. She has also written a book, "The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles", which details her dramatic recovery from MS through a "Paleolithic ketogenic" diet and lifestyle intervention.

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has become popular for weight loss. It involves getting 90% of calories from fat, with the remaining calories coming from protein and low-carb vegetables. This is effective for lowering blood sugar and can help reduce the amount of medication needed to control blood sugar for diabetics. Ketogenic diets are also being studied for their potential benefits in seizures, diabetes, obesity, cancer, polycystic ovarian disease, dementia, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis.

However, Dr. Wahls no longer recommends sustained ketogenic dieting. Instead, she favours what she terms "metabolic resilience", stimulated by seasonal high-fat (potentially ketogenic) dieting supplemented by fasting strategies, while staying on a year-round low-glycemic Paleo Diet. She recommends matching a high-fat, intermittently ketogenic diet to the traditional winter months of a patient's genetic heritage. For example, she follows a strict regimen that includes adhering to a low-glycemic Paleo Diet year-round, with monthly fasting, and consuming high-fat, lower-carb macros during the winter months.

Dr. Wahls' revised approach to the ketogenic diet is based on both her personal experience and published research, which suggests that there are potential drawbacks to sustained ketosis, including the down-regulation of the thyroid and sex hormones, mineral deficiency, metabolic acidosis, and reduced microbiome diversity.

The benefits of ketogenic diets

Dr Terry Wahls is a physician and author of The Wahls Protocol, a book detailing her experience of using a ketogenic diet to reverse her multiple sclerosis. She also follows the diet herself.

Ketogenic diets are low-carb, high-fat diets that can be beneficial for chronic pain relief. Research is also showing a link between mental health and the consumption of a ketogenic diet, giving hope to those who suffer from depression or bipolar disease.

• Lowering blood sugar, which can help reduce the amount of medication needed to control blood sugar if you are diabetic.
• Controlling appetite, making it easier to achieve long-term weight loss without chronic hunger.
• Being a possible therapy for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, ALS, and cancer.
• Mediating the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
• Improving mental clarity, reducing anxiety and depression, and improving sleep quality.

However, ketogenic diets also come with some hazards, including excessive weight loss, low sex hormone levels and infertility, increased infection risk, microbiome disruption, excessive electrolyte loss, and nutritional inadequacy.

Dr Wahls recommends matching a high-fat, intermittently ketogenic diet to the traditional winter months of a patient’s genetic heritage. She also recommends everyone eat a low-glycemic diet.

The drawbacks of ketogenic diets

Dr. Terry Wahls is a physician, researcher, and author who follows a ketogenic diet to reverse her multiple sclerosis. She has written extensively on the topic and also conducted clinical trials to study the effectiveness of the Wahls Paleo Plus diet on MS.

While Dr. Wahls has benefited from a ketogenic diet, she acknowledges that there are drawbacks and cautions against it in certain cases. Here are some of the potential drawbacks of ketogenic diets:

• Excessive weight loss: While ketogenic diets are effective for weight loss, excessive weight loss can be detrimental to health.
• Low sex hormone levels and infertility: Prolonged ketosis can lead to a down-regulation of sex hormones, reducing the likelihood of pregnancy.
• Increased infection risk: Ketogenic diets may increase the risk of infections due to a weakened immune system.
• Microbiome disruption: The depletion of the mucus layer in the intestine can lead to microbiome disruption and increased contact between bacteria and immune cells.
• Excessive electrolyte loss: Ketogenic diets can result in a significant loss of electrolytes, which are essential for maintaining bodily functions.
• Nutritional inadequacy: Ketogenic diets may not provide all the necessary nutrients, leading to potential deficiencies.
• Mineral deficiency: Ketosis can cause metabolic acidosis due to mineral deficiencies.
• Reduced microbiome diversity: A diverse microbiome is important for maintaining gut health and overall well-being.
• Potential health risks: Unrestricted and long-term ketogenic diets promoted by non-medical authors and bloggers may have negative health consequences without proper medical supervision.
• Autoimmune disease: Dr. Paul Jaminet, a scientist and author, believes that a ketogenic diet is more likely to cause autoimmune disease than cure it due to the depletion of the mucus layer in the intestine.

The Wahls Paleo Plus diet

Dr. Terry Wahls is a physician, a professor at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and an expert on the power of nutrition to reverse autoimmune disease. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 and confined to a wheelchair within a few years. She then radically transformed her diet and, within a year, no longer needed her wheelchair or cane and was back to riding her beloved bicycle.

Wahls follows a ketogenic diet herself to reverse her multiple sclerosis. She recommends the Wahls Paleo Plus™ diet, an MCT ketogenic diet that is highly structured. It emphasizes nutrient density through a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables and organ meats. The amount of protein and carbs a person can eat while maintaining ketosis varies.

The hazards of ketogenic diets include excessive weight loss, low sex hormone levels and infertility, increased infection risk, microbiome disruption, excessive electrolyte loss, and nutritional inadequacy. Wahls recommends her Paleo Plus diet to reduce the risk of nutritional inadequacy and microbiome disruption.

The Perfect Health Diet

Dr. Paul Jaminet, a scientist and author of The Perfect Health Diet, advocates for a safe starch approach in the paleo community. He has a negative view of ketogenic diets, which stems from his own experience of developing scurvy and other health problems after 18 months on a standard ketogenic diet. He believes that a ketogenic diet is more likely to cause autoimmune disease than cure it, due to the depletion of the mucus layer of the intestine, which puts bacteria in direct contact with immune cells.

Jaminet recommends doing the standard Perfect Health Diet first, before transitioning to the ketogenic version. This gives people a chance to see if they improve on the regular version without needing to go into ketosis. It also gives them experience with intermittent fasting, and if someone has challenges with intermittent fasting, they shouldn't do ketosis.

Frequently asked questions