Contents:
- Medical Video: Everything You Need to Know About the Keto Diet
- The ketogenic diet, a diet that actually encourages you to consume fat
- Be careful, this might happen if you go on a keto diet
- So, is the ketogenic diet dangerous?
Medical Video: Everything You Need to Know About the Keto Diet
In recent years, the ketogenic diet (often abbreviated as the keto diet) has become a trend to lose weight. In fact, various specific types of body weight adopt this diet to help their customers lose weight. However, is the ketogenic diet guaranteed safe and harmless?
The ketogenic diet, a diet that actually encourages you to consume fat
The ketogenic diet is a diet that utilizes ketosis. In the ketosis phase, the body uses fat as energy. Though usually carbohydrates are the main energy source of the body. Therefore, more fat is burned in the body. The result, you lose weight. However, the side effect of using fat as energy is that the body produces ketones.
To achieve ketosis, carbohydrate intake on the ketogenic diet is limited. Meanwhile, the intake of fatty foods is multiplied. This is so that there are not many carbohydrates that enter the body, so that not much energy comes from carbohydrates.
The condition of ketosis in mild levels is actually normal in the body. Even if you don't have a ketogenic diet, you may experience ketosis. For example, when exercising and your carbohydrate reserves have run out, the body will use fat as energy. Another example is when you are fasting.
Be careful, this might happen if you go on a keto diet
The keto diet can trigger a condition called ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is common in people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, so this condition is also known as diabetic ketoacidosis. In this condition, the body produces a lot of ketones until it can change the blood pH to become more acidic. This makes the body in danger.
Ketoacidosis is caused by long-term high blood sugar levels. The body is not able to convert sugar (or glucose) into enough energy, so the body uses fat as energy. As a result, blood sugar levels continue to be high and the production of ketones is also high.
Ketoacidosis causes a person to experience symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, frequent urination, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, faster heartbeat, and become dazed. Ketoacidosis can also damage your organs. In certain cases, the condition of ketoacidosis results in coma until death.
So, is the ketogenic diet dangerous?
A diet that utilizes ketosis is actually not going to cause ketoacidosis. Ketosis and ketoacidosis are two different conditions. In ketosis, the ketones produced by the body are only normal to high. Whereas in ketoacidosis, ketones produced by the body can reach high to very high levels. The amount of ketone in ketoacidosis can even change the pH of the blood to acid.
Generally, the ketogenic diet will not cause ketoacidosis. This has also been proven by research in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, which says that the ketogenic diet is harmless.
The amount of ketones produced by the body will not reach very high levels if the ketogenic diet is done properly. That is, don't over-limit your carbohydrate intake or not eat carbohydrates at all. However, the body still needs carbohydrates. At least, get around 50 grams of your daily intake of carbohydrates.
Also, pay attention to the choices of food sources of fat you eat. Choose good sources of fat, such as those in cheese, eggs, salmon, olive oil, and nuts.
Avoid sources of bad fats such as fried foods. Bad fat that enters the body tends to increase levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body. This can then increase your risk of various diseases, such as heart disease and stroke.
