Know Ketosis: When the Body Burns Fat as Energy

Medical Video: Tim Tebow Explains How The Keto Diet Breaks Down Fat

Have you ever heard the word "ketosis" or "ketosis diet"? Usually ketosis is associated with diabetes or weight loss. Why? When the body cannot use sugar or glucose, which usually occurs in people with diabetes or who greatly limit their food intake, ketosis (using fat as energy) can occur in the body. Is this ketosis diet effective or even dangerous? Find out here.

What is ketosis?

Ketosis is a normal metabolic process. When your body doesn't have enough carbohydrates to burn as energy for cells, your body will burn your fat reserves instead. This condition is what is meant by ketosis. As a result, compounds called ketones are produced. Ketones are a by-product of fat metabolism.

If you apply a healthy diet with a balanced diet, the body will be more able to control how much fat to burn. So, your body will not produce and use ketones. But, if you severely limit your food intake and your body has no carbohydrate reserves, the body will use fat as energy (ketosis) and produce ketones.

Ketosis usually occurs when you exercise for a long time, if you severely limit carbohydrate intake, during pregnancy, fasting, starvation, and in people with diabetes who cannot use insulin properly.

How to use ketosis to lose weight

Because when ketosis the body will burn fat as energy, this can be used to reduce your weight. One diet that utilizes this condition is the ketogenic diet. In the ketogenic diet, your carbohydrate intake will be very low (only 5%), whereas fat intake will be high (reaching 75%), and moderate protein intake (by 20%).

This low carbohydrate intake allows the body to use fat as energy. Usually you can experience ketosis when your carbohydrate intake is less than 50 grams per day. To achieve this, of course you must avoid foods with high sugar content, such as sweets, cakes, and sweet drinks.

When your carbohydrate intake is very low, insulin levels will drop, and large amounts of fatty acids are released by the body. These fatty acids will then be burned into energy and produce ketones as energy for the cells of the body and also the brain.

In this way, your weight can go down faster. This has been proven in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2008. The study found that obese men who had a ketogenic diet for four weeks could experience a weight loss of about 5.4 kg. People on this diet can consume fewer calories without feeling hungry.

Can using fat as energy (ketosis) be dangerous?

Normal ketosis occurs in your body. However, this will be dangerous if it produces excessive ketone compounds in the body. High ketone levels in the body can cause dehydration and make the chemical compounds in the blood become unbalanced.

The glucose and ketone content in the bloodstream becomes high. This can turn blood into a dangerous acid. This condition is called ketoacidosis. People with diabetes can experience ketoacidosis when insulin is low in the body or when they lack fluids.

It is best to consult your doctor immediately if you experience symptoms of ketoacidosis as below.