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Principles of the Keto Diet Have Been Used to Treat Epilepsy for Centuries, Does It Actually Work?
How the keto diet works for epilepsy in general
Analyzed studies show that children with epilepsy who adhere to a ketogenic diet were three times more likely to be seizure-free and six times more likely to have a 50% reduction in seizure frequency when compared to usual dietary care.
Despite strong evidence of its efficacy, a mechanism to clearly explain the keto diet's benefit remains unclear to researchers.
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Documented uses of the keto diet
Doctors have been prescribing ketogenic diets to treat epilepsy for nearly a century, and increasingly believe it holds promise for people with Type 2 diabetes.
But the older keto regi...
The Ketogenesis process
It supplies energy under circumstances such as fasting or caloric restriction to certain organs (e.g. the brain, heart, and skeletal muscle).
In ketogenesis, our livers start to break down fat into a usable energy source called ketones. Ketones can stand in for glucose as fuel for the body when there’s a glucose shortage.
Once ketogenesis kicks in and ketone levels are elevated, the body is in a state called “ketosis,” during which it’s burning stored fat.
The Keto diet
That means eating mainly meats, eggs, cheese, fish, nuts, butter, oils, and vegetables while avoiding sugar, bread and other grains, beans, and even fruit.
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Ketosis
Is a metabolic state. Think of being in or out of ketosis like the settings in a hybrid car; you can rely on gas or electricity to different degrees.
In ketosis, we...
The function of ketones
Ketones aren’t just a form of energy, they’re powerful signaling molecules. They regulate the expression of genes and dampen inflammatory processes.
Your body is always producing a very low level of ketones, irrespective of your diet. You start producing more of them when following a diet that’s high in fat and low in carbs.
Getting in ketosis
- The stricter you restrict carbs (or total calories), the quicker you will be in ketosis.
- Restricting your carb intake to 20g per day is a good heuristic (loose rule) for entering ketosis. It will generally get you into ketosis within a few days.
- Fasting gets you into ketosis very quickly.
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The general Keto diet
The Keto diet is one of the biggest diet phenomenons today. It is the most Googled diet of 2018 and has surpassed Weight Watchers and other low-carb regimens, Atkins and Paleo.
The...
Keto is a no-carb diet
Carbohydrates account for about half the calories on average in the American diet. Rice, maize, and wheat provide 60 percent of the world's food energy intake, even though there are more than 50,000 edible plants.
Keto is practically no-carb, forbidding processed junk foods and severely limits grains, including whole grains, fruits, and legumes such as brown rice, apples, and lentils. Keto adherents think conventional nutritional wisdom is harmful.
Keto is a cultural identity
Keto is more than just a diet. It is a cultural identity.
The Keto diet changes how adherents think about medicine and nutrition. With the fake news that dominates the news cycle, it's not surprising that keto went viral. It's anti-establishment.