Keto Vs. Physicians: Exploring Similar Weight Loss Strategies

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 your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. The keto diet is particularly useful for losing excess body fat without hunger and for improving type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. However, it is not suitable for everyone and should be done under medical supervision.

Physician-recommended diets are those that are advised by doctors for their patients. According to a survey by Sermo, only 5% of doctors recommended the keto diet as the best for long-term optimal health. The Mediterranean diet was the most recommended, with 51% of doctors choosing it as their favourite for long-term optimal health.

What is the keto diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits. 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 becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.

The keto diet is advertised as a weight-loss wonder, but it is actually a medical diet that comes with serious risks. It is used to help reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures in children. While it has also been tried for weight loss, it's best to make this only a short-term dietary change to help jump-start weight reduction.

The keto diet is very filling and usually does not require calorie counting. It can be effective for losing excess body fat without hunger and for improving type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. It can also lead to reductions in diastolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

The keto diet is associated with an increase in "bad" LDL cholesterol, which is linked to heart disease. Other potential risks include nutrient deficiency, liver problems, kidney problems, constipation, and fuzzy thinking and mood swings.

The standard ketogenic diet (SKD) typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs. To enter ketosis, you generally need to limit carb consumption to around 20 to 50 grams per day and fill up on fats, such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and healthy oils. It's important to moderate your protein consumption, as too much can slow your transition into ketosis.

There are several other versions of the keto diet, including the cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD), which involves periods of higher-carb refeeds; the targeted ketogenic diet (TKD), which allows you to add carbs around workouts; and the high-protein ketogenic diet, which includes more protein and is typically made up of 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.

What are the benefits of the keto diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to offer several health benefits. Here are some of the key advantages of the keto diet:

• Weight Loss: The keto diet is very effective for losing weight, especially excess body fat, without leaving you feeling hungry. It can also help reduce insulin levels and lower blood sugar.
• Improved Heart Health: The keto diet can lead to a significant reduction in blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease. It also increases "good" HDL cholesterol while decreasing "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
• Brain Function: The keto diet has been linked to improved brain health and may even help prevent or manage conditions like Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.
• Blood Sugar Control: The keto diet can be particularly beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, as it helps lower blood sugar and insulin levels.
• Other Benefits: The keto diet may also help treat multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, acne, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It has also been linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers.

What are the risks of the keto diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has gained popularity in recent years. While it can be effective for weight loss and certain health conditions, there are several risks associated with the keto diet that you should be aware of. Here are some of the potential dangers:

• The keto flu: As your body transitions to a state of ketosis, you may experience flu-like symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and constipation. These symptoms are due in part to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances and usually improve within a few weeks.
• Kidney stress: The high intake of animal foods on the keto diet can lead to a higher risk of kidney stones. This is because animal foods can make your blood and urine more acidic, leading to increased calcium excretion in the urine. The keto diet may also reduce the amount of citrate in the urine, which normally binds to calcium and prevents kidney stone formation.
• Digestive issues and changes in gut bacteria: The keto diet restricts carbohydrates, making it difficult to meet your daily fiber needs. This can lead to digestive discomfort and constipation. Additionally, a lack of fiber may negatively affect your gut bacteria, which can impact immunity, mental health, and inflammation.
• Nutrient deficiencies: The keto diet restricts several nutrient-dense foods, including fruits, whole grains, and legumes. This may lead to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals such as calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and phosphorus. Over time, this can result in serious nutrient deficiencies.
• Low blood sugar: While low-carb diets can help manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, they may also increase the risk of hypoglycemia, especially in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Hypoglycemia is marked by confusion, shakiness, fatigue, and sweating and can lead to coma and death if not treated promptly.
• Poor bone health: Several studies have linked the keto diet to decreased bone strength and bone mineral density loss. This may be due to the body's adaptation to ketosis. Poor bone health can increase the risk of fractures and other bone-related issues.
• Increased risk of chronic diseases and early death: The long-term effects of the keto diet on chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer are not yet fully understood. However, some evidence suggests that high-fat, animal-based, low-carb diets may lead to poor health outcomes. In contrast, vegetable-based low-carb diets have been associated with lower death rates from heart disease and all causes.

What foods are allowed on the keto diet?

The keto diet is a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate, and moderate-protein 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. When this happens, your body becomes very efficient at burning fat for energy.

• 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 veggies: green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
• Condiments: salt, pepper, herbs, and spices

It's important to note that there are several versions of the keto diet, including the standard ketogenic diet (SKD), cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD), targeted ketogenic diet (TKD), and high-protein ketogenic diet. The SKD and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied extensively, while the CKD and TKD are more advanced methods used primarily by bodybuilders or athletes.

How does the keto diet compare to other diets?

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 it burns fat for energy instead of carbs.

The keto diet is advertised as a weight-loss wonder, but it is actually a medical diet that comes with serious risks and should only be used short-term. It can be effective for weight loss and certain health conditions, which has been demonstrated in many studies. It can also be useful for losing excess body fat without hunger and for improving type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

The keto diet is very different from other low-carb diets, which tend to focus on protein. A keto plan centres on fat, which supplies as much as 90% of daily calories. It is also stricter than other low-carb diets, limiting carbs to fewer than 20-50 grams per day. In comparison, a typical Canadian diet contains 48% carbohydrates.

The keto diet can be compared to other diets in the following ways:

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is mostly plant-based and includes a wide range of foods without banning any food groups. It is recommended by 51% of doctors for long-term optimal health and has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and overall mortality. It has also been linked to lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

DASH Diet

About 16% of doctors recommend the DASH diet for long-term optimal health. The DASH diet aims to lower blood pressure by limiting foods with sodium and reducing added sugars, fats, and red meats. It emphasises fibre-filled fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as lean protein.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting restricts eating to certain time periods and focuses on when you eat, rather than what or how much. It has been linked to benefits such as improved glucose control and blood pressure lowering, but it has also been associated with drawbacks like disordered eating behaviours, disrupted sleep, and decreased alertness.

Vegan Diet

Only 6% of doctors recommend a vegan diet for long-term health. A vegan diet is strict, only allowing plant-based foods and excluding animal-derived foods. It can lead to deficiencies in certain nutrients, but it has benefits such as improvements in cardiovascular disease, overall mortality, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer incidence.

Other Low-Carb Diets

Other low-carb diets like Paleo and Atkins are similar to the keto diet but are not true keto diets as they focus on protein rather than fat. They also tend to be less restrictive, allowing more carbs. However, they come with the same risks as the keto diet if you overdo it on fats and proteins and lay off the carbs.

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