The keto diet has recently gained popularity due to its health benefits, such as weight loss and disease prevention. It can be extremely beneficial, but how does it accomplish this?
What is the Keto Diet, and how does it work?
You’ve probably heard of the Atkins diet, which is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The keto diet reduces carbohydrate intake while increasing fat intake. Instead of increasing protein intake, it emphasizes fat consumption. A typical keto diet consists of meals that are 75 percent fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrate. Even if you eat a high-fat diet, you can still be healthy. Seafood, meat, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, and nuts are frequently found on keto diet menus. Keto recipes have become more widely available as the keto diet has grown in popularity.
Adding more fat to your diet can lead to weight loss, which may seem counterintuitive. Your typical diet is high in carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucose (also known as blood sugar) and used as energy. As glucose enters your bloodstream, insulin is released, causing excess glucose to be stored as fat. The more carbohydrates there are, the more glucose there is. The more glucose there is, the more insulin there is, and the more insulin there is, the more fat there is.
The diet takes advantage of the fact that there is no insulin spike and you don’t add to your fat reserves when you eat high-fat, low-carbohydrate meals. Rather, fat from the diet and fat stored in the body is broken down into ketones (“keto” is short for “ketogenic” producing ketones). Ketones, like glucose, can be used for energy, keeping your body running without raising your blood sugar or causing you to gain weight.
Loss of weight
Overall, this type of diet is a great way to lose weight and burn fat. Because eating fewer carbohydrates suppresses appetite, keto diet participants eat fewer calories overall, according to studies. Rapid weight loss can be achieved by burning fat for energy.
Insulin and blood sugar levels are lower
Blood sugar and insulin levels are reduced as a result of the reduced carbohydrate intake. This is especially important for people who have type 2 diabetes, which causes blood glucose levels to rise. The keto diet can help diabetics reduce or eliminate their insulin injections.
Reduced triglycerides
Triglycerides, which are fat subunit molecules, are normally found in your bloodstream. High triglyceride levels are a major contributor to the development of heart disease. Because fat is burned for energy on the keto diet, the number of triglyceride molecules in the blood decreases, lowering the risk of heart disease.
Improved cholesterol levels
Another risk factor for heart disease is “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. When your blood contains too much bad cholesterol, it builds up in your arteries, narrowing them and leading to atherosclerosis, a type of heart disease. The keto diet lowers bad cholesterol while increasing “good” (HDL) cholesterol levels in the body.
This diet has numerous health advantages. This diet can help you lose weight quickly while also improving your overall health and preventing disease.