5 Health Benefits to Keto
The list of health benefits received from the ketogenic diet are numerous! Most people start the journey because they want to lose weight. But what truly keeps them in the keto lifestyle, is discovering all the additional benefits following keto can have! As an RN and Certified Keto Coach, I love people’s surprise as they watch their life unfold and begin to flourish!
WEIGHT LOSS
The ketogenic diet has gained huge popularity as people learn they can limit carbohydrates to such a degree that their body will burn fat for fuel! But people want to know how soon and to what degree they will see results. While results vary based on several factors, like body composition and underlying health conditions, here are some general results you can expect:
Weight loss results on the keto diet are pretty substantial. The average person loses anywhere from 2-10 pounds in the first week! Pretty remarkable right? But it’s important to realize most of this is water weight, from glucose reserves being depleted.
In the weeks following it’s typical to see a loss of 1-2 pounds/week. This pattern continues for a few months, at which point it’s not uncommon to hit a plateau. The majority of people don’t regain the weight unless they revert back to a high carb lifestyle. Even then they can quickly return to a state of ketosis since they have trained their body to be metabolically flexible. If keto is maintained long term, weight continues to slowly but steadily decline.
LOWERS CANCER RISK
Keto has been credited not only with reducing cancer risk, but also improving outcomes when implemented alongside conventional cancer treatments. Those are some pretty big claims, but the more that research evolves, the more science points in this direction.
As it turns out, cancer cells use glucose almost exclusively for fuel.
They also appear to have more insulin receptors than normal healthy cells. Since keto limits dietary glucose, cancer cells are theoretically starved. Cancer cells are not as ‘fuel flexible’ as healthy cells, able to utilize both glucose and ketones. So while being in a state of ketosis is optimal for normal cells, it appears sub-optimal for cancer cells.
LESS INFLAMMATION
I don’t know about you, but chronic pain is a huge deterrent for most people when it comes to enjoying pretty much everything in life! But as luck would have it, there is an anti-inflammatory chemical that is a by-product of ketosis, called Beta Hydroxybutyrate. BHB actually helps mitigate inflammatory pathways, improving not only subjective symptoms of pain and stiffness, but also seen in improved lab values like C-Reactive Protein and White Blood Cells! This is huge, as it can be an indicator to both you and your doctor that you are on the right track!
IMPROVES CARDIAC HEALTH
Heart disease is now rated as the number one cause of death for both men & women in the U.S. In this article, Dr. Anthony Gustin explains how the keto diet can actually increase the “good” cholesterol (HDL) and decrease the “bad” (LDL). He goes on to say that adopting a low carb diet (along with other positive lifestyle changes like optimized sleep and managing stress) can not only help prevent heart disease, but in many cases reverse the damage already done!
MORE ENERGY
Dr. Georgia Ede, a US psychiatrist with a passion for healthy eating, believes a large body of evidence points to the effects of inflammation on mental health disorders.
Since the keto diet decreases inflammation in the body, it would stand to reason that keto can be a powerful mood stabilizer. The keto diet minimizes blood sugar fluctuations, which can contribute to irritability. It’s not uncommon for keto goers to report improved energy, mood, and even cognitive performance!
With all of these incredible health benefits to living the keto lifestyle, it’s no wonder so many people are singing its praises. If you’ve struggled with any of these issues, I would highly suggest trying out keto to see if it’s right for you!
And if you aren’t sure where to start, and need guidance on your journey, you can book a free consult call with me to see if a keto coach might be right for you!