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Advantages and Disadvantages of the Keto Diet
Eating food is one of the desires that all living things possess because it is significant to
their survival. Without food, it is unlikely that all natural living things would exist. People eat
different foods depending on their geographic location, cultural setting, desires, religion,
environmental, and ethical reasons. Others choose not to eat specific foods due to allergies and
health conditions. While food has proven to be essential for the survival of human beings and
other living things, it is no longer a source of enjoyment and pleasure. Food has increasingly
become a cause of concern due to its potential consequences related to health. For this reason,
the concept of diet was introduced, where people eat different food types for many reasons. Diet
refers to a specific type of food or drinks one usually consume. Several diets exist and depend on
individuals' food choices and the diet's intended purpose. These include vegan, ketogenic,
Mediterranean, raw food, paleo, and low-carb diet. People choose to diet in their lives to ensure
they live a healthier life or correct a particular condition. One of the commonly chosen diets is a
ketogenic diet. This type of diet employs the use of high fat, adequate proteins, and very low
carbohydrates. Approximate macronutrients for the ketogenic diet include 5-10% of
carbohydrates, 30%-35% of proteins, and 55%-60% of proteins (Masood et al. 1). Ketogenic diet
aims to mimic a fasting state that stimulates the production of ketone bodies that can be used as a
fuel source instead of the glucose. This essay describes the advantages and disadvantages of the
keto/ketogenic diet.
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Advantages of the Keto Diet
In the last decade, the ketogenic diet has gained much popularity owing to its advantages
that benefit human health. Studies conducted by Dowis and Simran show it impacts weight loss,
epigenetic profile improvement, reversing metabolic syndromes, reducing/eliminating the need
for insulin, reducing inflammation, improving lipid profiles, and improving brain functions (1).
The ultimate impacts of the ketogenic diet have positive implications for patients suffering from
cardiovascular, endocrinology, and metabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia, hypertension,
diabetes, obesity, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. The common advantage that pushes most
individuals to adopt the keto diet is weight loss. Most individuals, including children, are
suffering from overweight-related issues in the current generation. The Keto diet has proven to
be a successful means of weight loss within a short period. The body's cells often use glucose as
the primary source of energy. However, the keto diet forces the body to use ketones as a fuel
source (LeWine). Therefore, when the glucose reserves are depleted, the liver is forced to break
down the stored fats to produce ketones, an alternative fuel source. In doing so, the keto diet
assists in decreasing the stored fat, increasing stored fat burning, improving insulin sensitivity,
and facilitating gluconeogenesis. All these processes result in the promotion of weight loss.
The ketogenic diet is also known to be important in the management of type 2 diabetes
mellitus. Type 2 diabetes results from hyperglycemia caused by insulin resistance, inadequate
secretion of insulin, or excessive glucagon secretion. The standard treatment for this diabetes is
insulin therapy or medications such as metformin to lower hyperglycemia. Nutritional therapies
have also been introduced to assist in lowering blood glucose as it emphasizes in reduction of
carbohydrates and moderate uptake of fats. The ketogenic diet is among the natural therapy that
has been used for more extended periods. Its focus on low carbohydrates, moderate proteins, and
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high fat intake has assisted patients with diabetes because it has helped reduce the circulating
blood sugars (Tinguely et al. 6). Review written by Crosby showed that the ketogenic diet could
assist in reducing blood glucose, promoting weight loss, decreasing appetite, decreasing HbA1c,
and improving insulin sensitivity. The overall impact of the keto diet on a diabetic patient is
continuous assistance in managing the metabolic disorder. A prolonged keto diet may fully
recover type 2 diabetic patients.
The Keto diet is also advantageous because it improves memory and cognitive functions.
This diet is particularly beneficial for individuals with epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's
diseases. Fat breakdown results in a ketone molecule known as Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB),
which is associated with increased cognition in memory-impaired individuals. The keto diet is
known to treat refractive epilepsy due to its ability to improve gut microbiota, increasing the
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) levels that mediate the anti-seizure effect. Due to
ineffective glucose transporters in the brains of patients who have Alzheimer, ketones have
gotten identified as an effective fuel source in the brain. Therefore, the keto diet enhances
cognitive outcomes in patients with Alzheimer's disease (Xu 581). With the continuous growth
of the aging population in the world, most older people have dementia. Dietary interventions
have been known to have an impact on slowing or reversing the cognitive decline in older
people, increasing their overall cognitive function and improving their quality of life. The keto
diet does this by replacing glucose as the fuel source with ketones because they have a more
efficient pathway to produce more energy than glucose. Therefore, when the brain uses ketones,
they produce more energy using oxygen than glucose. This energy is essential in driving the
cognitive functions in patients suffering from memory and cognitive functions.
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Lastly, the ketogenic diet is known to impact epigenetics positively, such that it can
modify or alter some genes. Some foods that form part of the keto diet have proven to affect
methylation patterns that favor the existence of microbiome makeup. The presence of a good
microbiome increases overall cell health through various processes. This diet is also known to
positively affect mitochondrial function and reduce oxidative stress, preventing chronic and
degenerative diseases. The effect on epigenetics has also been shown to impact the aging
process, cell signaling, and improved gene regulation (Dowis and Simran 5). A ketogenic diet
also has an impact on cancer cells. Cancer cells utilize more glucose and less oxygen than
normal cells to produce lactic acid. With the keto diet, there is a reduction of glucose supply, the
energy source for cancer cells. Therefore, using this diet assist in slowing down the growth of
tumor and delays the initiation of tumor development. When using this diet, the sensitivity of
tumor cells to various remedies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy is also increased (Li et
al. 1-2). The Keto diet is also known to be associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL), often
considered good cholesterol. Research shows that the keto diet is a cardioprotective antioxidant
and benefits cardiac metabolic efficiency. Although this concept remains controversial, many
studies have supported it as it assists in reducing obesity which is often evident in patients with
cardiovascular complications (Zhang 3-4). The Ketogenic diet has proven to be beneficial in
many ways. However, it also has disadvantages that individuals must pay attention to before
adopting the diet.
Disadvantages of the Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet could have potential disadvantages depending on their restrictions and
individual conditions. The most restrictive keto diets could be accompanied by negative effects
such as nausea, headache, constipation, hypoglycemia, acidosis, and fatigue. These negative
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impacts are commonly referred to as "Keto Flu." Although Keto flu goes only for a few days, it
is often accompanied by vomiting, gastrointestinal distress, and fatigue. Individuals get fatigued
because their bodies run out of sugars to burn before the body switches to using fats. Individuals
on the keto diet may also have diarrhea, especially if the diet lacks fiber. Diarrhea may also
result from the gall bladder, which produces bile to break down the stored fats. If an individual's
body is not used to breaking down more fats, they may suffer from diarrhea. Eliminating whole
grains and fruit may also result in gut health due to low fiber intake (Satterthwaite). This, in
return, leads to digestive issues such as constipation and may make using the restroom difficult.
The ketogenic diet may also result in certain nutritional deficiencies. These deficiencies
result from strict diets that do not incorporate all the necessary nutrients. As a result, it leads to
dehydration and hepatic encephalopathy. Certain minerals and vitamins such as calcium,
magnesium, potassium, iron, sodium, selenium, carnitine, and vitamins A and B become
deficient (Novkovic). Low-carbohydrate use raises the need for vitamins such as riboflavin,
thiamine, and pantothenic acid. Therefore, adopting the keto diet requires incorporating other
meals to ensure the presence of nutrients that the keto diet is not providing. This diet also causes
a lot of cravings due to its longevity plans. Because it starves the body with what it requires and
desires, the body craves more. This craving causes one to easily give up on a diet and return to
their regular diet. Upon returning to a regular diet, one will easily regain weight as the body will
quickly adjust to using glucose as the primary energy source (Alharbi and Noorah 305).
The long-term side effects of keto diet include hypoproteinemia, kidney stones, and ketoacidosis.
Although this diet aims to produce nutritional ketosis, a generally safe energy source, sometimes
the levels of ketones go high, resulting in ketoacidosis. This is commonly evident in patients
with diabetes. This life-threatening condition occurs when the body breaks down fats too
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quickly. Fats that are broken quickly result in excess ketones in the blood resulting in blood
acidity. Therefore, patients with diabetes must be keen to monitor their ketones/sugar levels
when using keto diets or should resolve to other alternative beneficial diets. A Keto diet may also
cause low levels of proteins in the blood, a condition known as hypoproteinemia. This condition
is characterized by swelling in the face, legs, and other body parts due to fluid build-up. It is only
reversed by balancing the keto diet to include more proteins in the blood (Wang et al. 3).
Another negative effect of the keto diet is kidney stones. The Keto diet results in elevated
creatinine and uric acid, which may result in kidney stones. Therefore, it is recommended that
when taking a keto diet, it is important to take a lot of water. However, individuals suffering
from kidney ailments should adopt other beneficial diet types.
Conclusion
Overall, the ketogenic diet, which uses high fat and proteins with low carbohydrates,
continues to be popular around the globe. Most individuals have adopted this diet to lose weight,
manage certain medical conditions, and improve their health. Apart from weight loss, the keto
diet is known to assist in managing conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, dementia, Alzheimer,
polycystic ovarian syndrom, and heart diseases. In some cases, it is known to slow down the
growth of tumor cells and delays the initiation of tumor development. Although it has proven
beneficial, it also has some disadvantages such as keto flu, gastrointestinal conditions, kidney
stones, ketoacidosis, and nutrient deficiencies. In conclusion, it is important to note that the keto
diet is significant. However, the users must be keen to monitor the important body parameters. If
possible, they should consult an expert on the keto diet to guide them properly.
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Works Cited
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