A study done by researchers from the Grossman School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania, George Washington University School of Medicine, and Loma Linda University found that ketogenic diets could be harmful to your health in the long term. Ketogenic diets put you at risk for developing cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.
Ketogenic diets are highly popularized diets known for helping people lose weight fast while leaving them energized.
According to Lee Crosby, the lead author and a nutrition education program manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, taking a high-fat diet while reducing the intake of food rich in carbohydrates is bad for your health.
Ketogenic diets increase the risk of chronic illness
Ketogenic diets involve reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing fat and proteins. This diet triggers ketosis, which activates ketone production in the body. Ketones are an alternative energy source. Most cells, such as neurons, metabolize ketones better than they do fatty acids.
The researchers found that keto diets can be harmful to the body. The risk is more significant for pregnant women or hoping to get pregnant since they increase the risk of the fetus developing neural tube defects even when the woman takes folic acids during the pregnancy. Folic acid is given to pregnant women to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.
Keto diets can also lead to quicker kidney failure for people with kidney disease. Crosby adds that keto diets increase the levels of LDL cholesterol in the body and increases the risk of developing a chronic illness. They can also raise the risk for severe COVID-19 infection.
Ketogenic diets generally cut off foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, which are protective foods. Protective foods provide the body with antioxidants, minerals, and other nutrients that protect you from chronic diseases.
Ketogenic diets can increase the risk of cancer
Keto diets have long been thought of as a potential treatment for cancer and heart diseases, with several studies reporting that they could starve cancer cells. However, the study also found that lowering carbohydrate intake makes people eat more carcinogenic food. In addition, keto diets do not work any better compared to other weight-loss diets.
Despite the negative results on keto diets, the researchers found that they could reduce the occurrence of seizures in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
