For the past few years, the ketogenic diet, or keto diet, has skyrocketed in popularity, earning itself a pretty distinct name among all of the diet strategies that one can follow today.
And it’s easy to see why. As a diet strategy, the keto diet promises several impressive health benefits, which of course includes weight loss.
But is it really effective? And if so, is it healthy enough to stick to?
Weight Loss Effect
As a diet, the keto diet follows a very low carb and high fat eating pattern. Usually, this means that your carb intake is only limited to less than around five to 10 percent of your total calorie intake every day.
This allows our body to enter a state of ketosis, which is when our body switches from using carbs as an energy source to using fats, which is what triggers the start of weight loss. Additionally, the liver also starts producing a type of acid called ketones in this state as well, mainly due to the lack of insulin that helps turn glucose into energy. The fat is then turned into ketones and is sent back into the bloodstream.
The carb intake that’s been reduced is made up for, simply by increasing our fat intake up to around 70-90 percent of calories.
Other Factors
When it comes to actual weight loss, however, simply following the keto diet is not enough since other factors can easily come into play. These factors are as listed below.
Sleep – When it comes to dieting, enough sleep is usually overlooked. However, studies showed that lack of sleep can easily disrupt your weight loss routine, and can even negatively impact it. Lack of sleep can also impact our hunger hormones, which can then increase our appetite and counter the effects of keto.
Your carb intake – Even when you follow the keto diet, eating too many carbs will stop your body from staying in ketosis, meaning that most of its potential benefits (including weight loss) would not take full effect.
Physical lifestyle – Partnering up your keto diet with consistent exercise can boost its effect.
Overall, the keto diet is effective when it comes to weight loss. With that in mind, it’s not the end goal, and lack of research about it should keep you on your tiptoes.
Source :- MSN
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