What is dangerous ketogenic diet for weight loss and how to replace it

Popular ketogenic diet for weight loss — one of the most controversial. It has many supporters, but not less and opponents. This diet has found application in medicine, with its help, children with a form of epilepsy resistant to drugs were treated. It is noticed that the state of ketosis reduces the number of convulsive seizures. But so is it good for a healthy person? It turns out not. Although the ketogenic diet results in rapid weight loss, that's where the benefits end. This type of diet can cause side effects and even lead to serious illness.

• What is the ketogenic diet for weight loss
• Ketogenic & low carb — these are different diets
• What are the dangers of the ketogenic diet: side effects and diseases
• A balanced diet — great diet alternative
• The main thing about the dangers of the ketogenic diet and the healthy alternative

What is the ketogenic diet for weight loss

The very name of the diet comes from the word "ketosis". This is a metabolic state that occurs when a critically low amount of carbohydrates enters the body. It promotes rapid weight loss, but, as studies show, only for a short period of time. In the long term (if you follow the ketogenic diet for more than a year), the results are not too different from any other diet. A balanced, low-calorie diet will give about the same effect, but it will be so fast.

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The principle of the ketogenic diet is based on the almost complete exclusion of carbohydrates. To maintain life, a person needs about 1800 kcal per day. This is an approximate number. The exact number of calories should be calculated individually, it depends on height, physique, and loads. About 400 kcal per day "eats" brain. It turns out that he needs 100 & nbsp; g of glucose per day for normal work. The ketogenic diet for weight loss eliminates carbohydrates and deprives the brain of the required amount of energy.

The problem of glucose deficiency is solved by the liver. It stores glycogen, is able to store up to 100-120 g of glucose and give it away to ensure brain functions. When carbohydrates are not enough, the brain works at the expense of "storage" liver, but they are not replenished instantly. Theoretically, the body could feed on the glycogen accumulated by the muscles (there are many times more reserves than in the liver). However, the muscles cannot fully feed the brain, because they do not have the necessary enzyme to break down glycogen.

When available glucose stores are depleted, the liver turns on the production of ketone bodies, which are carried through the bloodstream to organs that do not use fat for energy. In the process of synthesis of ketone bodies, the liver burns fat reserves. If carbohydrate deficiency persists for a long time, the so-called Krebs cycle starts and the body enters a state of ketosis, in which the process of producing ketone bodies becomes constant. Due to this, intensive fat burning occurs.

Read also: Metabolic disorders: how to identify and solve the problem

Ketogenic & low carb — these are different diets

The ketogenic diet for weight loss is different from the low carb diet, although the basic principles of both diets are similar. With a low-carbohydrate diet, ketones do not accumulate in the blood, and the body does not use them as an energy source. And in a state of ketosis, it is ketone bodies that are the main fuel that provides body functions.

The low carb diet simply limits the amount of glucose, while the ketone —— almost excludes its entry from the outside. Only 5% of calories the body receives from carbohydrates, the rest — from fats. At the same time, it is important that a person successfully adapts and remains in a constant state of ketosis.

If the diet is combined with training, you have to carefully monitor the amount of incoming protein. It should not be too small for the muscles to recover after playing sports. But if the protein becomes more than normal, the body will begin to break it down to glucose and exit the state of ketosis.

 

Read also: Diets with unhealthy foods: how to eat right to lose weight

What are the dangers of the ketogenic diet: side effects and diseases

Proponents of the ketogenic diet acknowledge that it can have side effects such as constipation, nausea, and vomiting. But all these are the little things in life. Being in ketosis can have more serious consequences:

• Decrease in exercise performance. Frequent, intense training is hampered by depletion of glycogen in the muscles and  liver. Serious training will have to be forgotten.

• Delayed recovery of exercising athletes. On a ketogenic diet, the rate of muscle growth is reduced, and the recovery process is slower. This is also a consequence of a decrease in the amount of glycogen in the muscles.

• Kidney Stones. In a state of ketosis, the risk of kidney stones increases.

• Diabetes type 2. Due to the lack of carbohydrates in the diet, the body's sensitivity to insulin gradually decreases, and glucose intolerance develops. This can lead to diabetes type 2 .

The ketogenic diet has nothing to do with healthy diets.It can provoke the disease that has always been considered to be the wrong diet, — type 2 diabetes. The connection of the disease with the state of ketosis was confirmed by the ETH and the Children's University Hospital Zurich in a joint study. Scientists have done experiments on mice, but it is likely that people react to a state of ketosis in much the same way. Better not to risk it.

A balanced diet — great diet alternative

There is no evidence to support the beneficial effects of the ketogenic diet on the body, other than improving the condition of children with epilepsy. It is bad for  growth of muscle mass, reduces performance and can cause serious harm to health.

Long-term studies have shown that a year of a ketogenic diet and a balanced diet produce about the same weight loss. At the same time, the right diet does not harm health, it can be followed even for a lifetime without the slightest negative consequences.

Read also: Intuitive Eating: Slimming Without Dieting & Self-Torture

The main thing about the dangers of the ketogenic diet and the healthy alternative

It has long been proven that any extreme diet is harmful. Violence against the body is not in vain. Of course, there are advantages to the ketogenic diet: in a state of ketosis, fat is quickly burned, and you see the first results within a month. But there are more cons, and they are dangerous. Please note that:

• There are side effects to dieting. During the adaptation period, constipation, nausea and vomiting are possible.

• A ketogenic diet reduces glycogen stores in the liver and muscles. This leads to a deterioration in well-being, a decrease in productivity.

• Health risks are increasing. The state of ketosis can provoke type 2 diabetes, the formation of stones in the kidneys.

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Think about whether you are ready to risk yourself, lose weight quickly on a ketogenic diet, and then work for the pharmacy for the rest of your days. A healthy diet and gradual weight loss are much more comfortable. Try it.

Read also: 10 reasons you don't lose weight even if you are in a calorie deficit

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