The ketogenic diet is a popular thing: actresses Vanessa Hudgens, Alicia Vikander and Halle Berry follow it. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time celebrity recommendations have clashed with evidence-based medicine. Understand that the keto diet is the healthiest way to lose weight. Why is there no way?
Where did the ketogenic diet come from?
The ketogenic diet is not a fashion novelty: it was invented in the 20s to treat seizures. It was a human replacement for fasting, which in those years was the only remedy for epilepsy. True, in 1938 an anticonvulsantAppeared, therefore, the keto diet is now mainly used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children.
Most likely, the ketogenic diet will remain an exotic method from the neurologist's arsenal. But in the 1970s, an American cardiologist, Robert Atkins, read a paper that found that the diet helped people lose weight. Based on these data, the enterprising doctor created his own nutrition system and wrote several books about it.
Atkins's nutrition system turned out to be simple, understandable and even produced quick results. It was a hit with Hollywood stars and other public figures who quickly made the ketogenic diet famous.
how keto diet works
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat diet. The standard ketogenic diet consists of 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrates, but the number of calories you can get from a "ketogenic diet" remains the standard. : 2000 kcal per day.
Carbohydrates in a ketogenic diet are only 20-50 grams. For our body, which is designed to get most of its energy from carbohydrates, this is too little. Therefore, once on a ketogenic diet, the body begins to burn glycogen—the "reserve" of carbohydrates in the liver.
When glycogen stores are depleted (and this happens already on the 2-4th day of such a diet), the body turns to fat stores. When fat is broken down, ketone bodies are formed, which also provide energycan be extracted - hence the name of the diet.
What are the problems with keto diet
Evolution has only "rewarded" us with the ability to store fat so that we can get through tough times. We are not designed for long-term nutrition with only fat. If you "lean" on fat, over time you can "earn" serious health problems.
increases obesity
It would seem - how so, because it has been proven that ketogenic diets help to lose weight? That's true - but the problem is that the lost weight soon comes back.
In short, in this state, the "yo-yo effect" is triggered. After each cycle of an extremely low carbohydrate diet, the body learns to better extract energy from the food that comes to it. When a ketogenic diet is performed incorrectlyBut when a person losing weight starts eating carbohydrate foods again, the weight comes back very quickly, although the portions of the food remain the same.
If a person tries to lose weight again with a diet, the body reacts with an increase in appetite, so that after completion the poor person begins to overeat - and earns "fat".
violates digestion
An important source of carbohydrates are cereal products: cereals, pasta and bread. But in these products, in addition to carbohydrates, there is another important component: fiber. Soluble fiber "feeds" the beneficial bacteria that live in our intestines, while insolubleFiber helps prevent constipation. People who are malnourished in fiber are more likely to suffer from digestive problems due to a ketogenic diet.
leads to nutrient deficiencies
The main problem with all low-carb diets is that a person tends to eat fewer vegetables and fruits – they are also sweet. But vegetables and fruits are the main sources of the vitamin.
Studies of the ketogenic diet in children with epilepsy have shown that patients who follow it do not get enough nutrients needed for health. In this condition, children with epilepsy are prescribed vitamins in capsules. ButHealthy adults who decide to lose weight usually don't even think about such risks.
heart hurts
Excessively fatty foods are in principle harmful to the cardiovascular system. It increases the synthesis of cholesterol - the main material for atherosclerotic plaques, which "like" blood vessels, causing heart attack or stroke.
But low-carb (including ketogenic) diets have their problems: It turns out that such meal plans can disrupt the heart's rhythm, leading to fatal atrial fibrillation. So it should come as no surprise that a false oneThere are ways in which a ketogenic diet increases the risk of heart disease and premature death from other causes.
gallbladder problem causes
A high-fat diet can provoke gallstone disease. It works like this: If excess cholesterol appears in the body, the liver begins to "dump" it into the gallbladder. There it sometimes crystallizesIt seems that gallstones are formed.
May cause ketoacidosis
Ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition that usually occurs in people with diabetes. However, science knows at least one case when a keto diet provoked ketoacidosis in a healthy lactating woman.
Contraception in people with pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a disease of the pancreas in which you cannot eat more than 20 grams of fat per day. Too much fat on a keto diet can trigger an attack of the disease.
Nutritionists do not recommend following a low-carb diet for people who exercise a lot or play sports professionally.
The keto diet in athletes not only leads to the loss of a certain amount of adipose tissue, but also reduces muscle mass, because under conditions of aerobic and mixed training, the body has the fat to obtain the necessary amount of fat. does not have time to oxidize. energy and is forced to destroy its own proteins.
Of course, this also affects well-being - the athlete becomes weaker, endurance and speed-strength indicators drop.
What is the difference between a keto diet and a good weight loss program?
The keto diet doesn't take into account people's actual energy needs. As a result, a person who follows it often not only reduces carbohydrate intake from food—he or she can also dramatically reduce the overall calorie content of the diet. It does. All this triggers the "yo-yo effect", and as soon as he or she returns to a normal diet, the person gains weight. Also, ketogenic diets are often unbalanced – as a result, a person needsNutrients are not available and provoke health problems.
Efficient weight loss programs not only aim to lose weight, but also maintain this effect in the future. The only way to avoid the yo-yo effect is through programs built on the principles of healthy eating.
A diet that allows you to lose weight should be:
- diverse - so that a person receives not only proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but also vitamins, trace elements and fiber;
- tasty - to avoid the "temptation" of fast food and convenience foods;
- nutritious enough - so that there is enough strength and energy for mental work, sports and other joys of life;
- There should be no excess or deficiency of calories.
A good weight loss program does not work without general lifestyle modifications and does not provide quick results. But on such programs, weight loss occurs easily, the result is stored for a long time, and health is only getting stronger. Is.