Health Benefits of the Keto Diet
The Keto diet is making headlines all across the globe and people are simply going crazy about this “most trending” diet regime.
Well, if we talk about its popularity, there have been more than a million Google searches monthly regarding the “much talked about” Keto diet.
Although most people and health experts deem the keto diet as highly effective in weight loss, there are certain risks attached to it.
It’s just not about the ordinary people who want to go deep with this diet regime and the health experts around too are taking a significant interest in the keto diet lately.
In 2015, 247 studies in this field were listed in the PubMed database (operated and managed by the US National Library of Medicine).
By 2018, the number of studies had increased to 432, confirming its raging popularity among the masses.
What is a Keto diet?
The Keto diet consists of a high fat content (70-80%), moderate protein content (10-20%), and very low carb content (5-10%) of daily calorie consumption.
It’s pretty different from a typical American diet, where carb consumption is around 60%, and it requires sheer discipline in the process.
Once you start with the Keto diet, your body will enter the “Ketosis” state, which means that it has started burning fat content in the body for the energy requirements.
There are several ways to ascertain whether your body has entered the same state during the Keto diet, like using a Urine ketone strip or a blood prick meter.
Various health benefits of the Keto diet
1. Weight loss
The effectiveness of the Keto diet in weight loss can be said to be the biggest reason behind its worldwide popularity.
Once you are on a keto diet, you will consume fewer carbs and the body will burn the existing fat around to feed the energy requirements. Thus, all that flab around will eventually burn to make you achieve your weight loss goals.
2. Reduction in appetite
Health Benefits of Keto Diet – reduction of appetite
Once again, if you are looking to track or cut down your overall calorie intake, the Keto diet can help you to a great extent.
This is simply because the keto diet helps in reducing your overall appetite. As you consume more fats and fewer carbs, you will feel less hungry. This will eventually lead to lower calorie intake.
3. Help with type 2 diabetes
Health Benefits of Keto Diet – Type 2 diabetes
While being on a keto diet, your blood sugar levels decrease to a considerable extent. Although there may be a chance that your body will enter a hypoglycemia stage, this must be practiced carefully.
4. Treating certain types of cancer
Health Benefits of Keto Diet – Treating cancer
It has been proved in certain medical studies that going with a Keto diet along with chemotherapy treatment helps in treating certain types of cancer quite effectively.
Still, this must be practiced under a professional physician’s strict instructions and supervision.
Increased levels of good cholesterol
High-density lipoprotein (HDL), good cholesterol, is boosted while on a Keto diet. This is because the body is consuming more fats than carbs.
5. Helps in Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Health Benefits of Keto Diet – Polycystic ovary syndrome
Women experiencing PCOS are at a higher risk of diabetes and obesity.
This is where a keto diet can help greatly with its low-carb, high-protein nutrition regime. Still, clinical supervision is advised before starting a keto diet during this health condition.
6. Dementia and Alzheimer
There are certain studies published in various medical journals that confirm the influential role played by a keto diet in treating diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
It may help the person to maintain cognitive function.
People with these issues have been checked for the same observation, and most of them have been found to have better memory functioning in the process.
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