Is the Ketogenic Diet Really Effective for Weight Loss? The benefits are beyond your imagination

Why is the ketogenic diet so popular? Is it really a panacea for burning fat and losing weight?

The so-called ketogenic diet is actually a diet based on the ratio of the three major nutrients - "carbohydrates, proteins, and fats". It includes four major categories. The first is the "traditional ketogenic diet" originally used to treat childhood epilepsy, and the later developed "ketogenic diet combined with medium-chain triglycerides", "Akin diet", and the "low glycemic index diet" based on stabilizing blood sugar.

An article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2017 pointed out that with the same calorie intake, the weight loss effect varies depending on the proportion of nutrients consumed.

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Ketogenic diet good results

Research has found that with the same calorie restriction, a high-fat, low-sugar diet can achieve superior weight loss results (-4.7 kg) in the short term (within 2 years) compared to a general balanced diet, slightly better than the Mediterranean diet (-4.4 kg). Not only that, the weight loss is greater than a low-glycemic index diet (-2.9 kg). At the same time, there are many benefits to using a high-fat, low-sugar diet to lose weight, including controlling blood sugar, lowering blood lipids, treating non-alcoholic liver disease, and even preventing infertility and miscarriage caused by obesity in women, all of which are beneficial to the body due to its "slimming" effect.

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Metabolic mechanism of high-fat and low-sugar diet

So why does a high-fat, low-sugar diet have such amazing effects? We can get some insight into this from its physiological mechanism. Different metabolic pathways than a balanced diet are known to occur, including:

(1) Increased thermogenesis caused by a high-protein diet.

(2) Gluconeogenesis after protein metabolism.

(3) Achieve overall energy consumption by excreting ketone bodies in sweat or urine.

This kind of internal and external cooperation can pave a smooth and broad road from the difficult and bumpy road of weight loss.

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However, there is a common saying online that the rapid weight loss caused by a high-fat, low-sugar diet is due to dehydration? Research has found that a high-fat, low-sugar diet is still mainly metabolized as fat, rather than simply dehydration as the public used to believe.

In addition, a high-fat, low-sugar diet can effectively fight against the enemy of weight loss - "hunger". According to randomized controlled trials in humans, a hormone in the intestine that can suppress hunger - "YY peptide" - can increase the concentration of YY peptide in the body compared to a balanced diet, thereby achieving the effect of suppressing hunger, allowing the willpower to lose weight to be more lasting and reaching the peak of a perfect body.

How to eat a high-fat, low-sugar diet:

Finally, although a high-fat, low-sugar diet is good, there are still some things to note and it is not suitable for everyone.

First of all, it is the choice of ingredients. In order to avoid malnutrition caused by an unbalanced diet of high fat and low sugar, ingredients should be selected from natural and unprocessed ingredients, such as nuts, seeds and a lot of vegetables, to ensure that the body has sufficient vitamins and minerals. In addition, due to increased water loss in the body, it is recommended to take in enough water and sodium in time to avoid electrolyte imbalance.

Finally, it must be emphasized that this diet is not suitable for patients with chronic kidney disease. Such patients need to control their intake of protein, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. If improperly attempted, it may accelerate the deterioration of kidney function and even create a risk of death.

High-fat and low-sugar diet precautions

1. Ingredients should be natural and unprocessed, such as nuts, seeds and plenty of vegetables, to ensure adequate vitamins and minerals in the body.

2. Due to increased water loss in the body, it is recommended to take in sufficient water and sodium in a timely manner to avoid electrolyte imbalance.

3. This diet is not suitable for patients with chronic kidney disease. Such patients need to control their intake of protein, phosphorus, sodium and potassium. If improperly attempted, it may accelerate the deterioration of kidney function and even cause the risk of death.

This article comes from: Nutrition 123 <Healthy and Simple>

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