Keto diet: who shouldn't practice it and why

08/04/2021 6:00 AM

• Clarín.com

• Good Life

Updated 08/04/2021 6:00 AM

As with many extreme diets, ketogenic diets have multiple

proponents and naysayers

.

For this reason, a complete review of its risks, in particular in certain people, published in the

Frontiers in Nutrition

magazine is particularly relevant

.

This study, proposed as "the most complete review carried out so far of ketogenic diets" details that there are

adverse

health

effects

especially in pregnant women and people with kidney disease, although it is not recommended for people in general either.

In this last sense, the review - called "Ketogenic diets and chronic diseases: weighing the benefits against the risks" - affirms that there are for most people who ascribe to these diets possible

long-term risks,

including heart disease, risk of cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease (AD), far outweighing their potential benefits.

Ketogenic diet

Known as the "keto diet" or "ketogenic", this diet promotes weight and fat loss through an eating plan that

reduces carbohydrates to the

detriment of fats and proteins.

The result?

When the body needs energy, it does not go to glucose but to fatty acids and ketone bodies.

In summary, the very low presence of carbohydrates, the modest inclusion of proteins and the high content of fat becomes a kind of "fuel mix" that aims to induce ketosis or the production of ketone bodies that serve as a

source. alternative energy

for neurons and other cell types that cannot directly metabolize fatty acids.

They recommend that pregnant women not practice it, since they warn that it could be risky.

Photo Shutterstock.

Ketogenic diets have been promoted for weight loss and, less frequently, for

other health reasons:

seizure disorders, obesity and weight control, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, disease heart, kidney health and pregnancy, all of which were considered in this review.

Possible long-term health effects were also analyzed.

"The typical ketogenic diet is a

disease-promoting

disaster

," says the review's lead author, Lee Crosby, manager of the nutrition education program at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization as blunt as it is lapidary. for profit that promotes preventive medicine and conducts clinical research.

"Consuming red meat, processed meats and saturated fat and restricting carbohydrate-rich vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains is a recipe for

poor health,

" he adds.

In fact, one of the main criticisms, and from which the main damages arise, points to its

nutritional deficit.

“

Extreme

carbohydrate

restriction

can profoundly affect the quality of the diet, usually by reducing or eliminating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes and increasing the consumption of animal products.

Very low-carbohydrate diets may lack vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, ”they detail.

Who is affected the most

The most important findings of the document regarding the groups to which this diet can harm can be summarized in

4 points:

1- These diets can be especially dangerous for

pregnant women

or those who could become pregnant, since low carbohydrate diets are linked to an increased risk of neural tube defects in the baby, even when women take folic acid.

In addition, as indicated there, "low-carbohydrate diets that are followed before conception or during the periconceptional period are associated with an increased risk of

congenital defects

and gestational diabetes, respectively," they warn.

2- Protein-rich ketogenic diets could accelerate kidney failure in people with

kidney disease

.

Although not all have a high amount of protein, those that seek to lose weight do: “A high consumption of protein facilitates hyperfiltration, a phenomenon of increased blood flow to the glomerulus, which is believed to lead to long-term damage. in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Another group that could be affected by keto diets is those with kidney disease.

Photo Shutterstock.

In addition, they warn that "the acid load of the ketogenic diet can worsen metabolic acidosis and kidney disease in people with CKD."

3- Restricting carbohydrates inclines the diet towards foods that are often linked to diseases such as

cancer

.

In fact, typical ketogenic foods (red meats, processed meats, saturated fat, to the detriment of fruits and vegetables) have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's, which are often the same diseases as They promote to help.

4- "The intake of saturated fat, which normally increases with a ketogenic diet, is strongly associated with the risk of

Alzheimer's,

" they warn.

And they elaborate: “Plant foods rich in polyphenols, such as fruits and vegetables, are associated with a lower risk of AD and diets that focus on whole plant foods have been shown to limit foods of animal origin and processed foods, such as the MIND diet (which promotes foods that act as neuroprotectors) ”, they explain.

"In addition to the significant risks for kidney disease patients and pregnant women, ketogenic diets are

risky for others as well,

as they can increase bad cholesterol levels and the overall risk of chronic disease," Crosby explains.

Regarding its undeniable weight loss effect, he states: "While the ketogenic diet can reduce body weight

in the short term

, this approach is no more effective than other weight loss diets."

The researchers found that the only well-supported use of this dietary approach is to reduce the frequency of seizures in some

people with

drug-resistant

epilepsy

.

Crosby conducted the review with colleagues from New York University Grossman School of Medicine;

New York City Health and Hospital in Bellevue;

University of Pennsylvania;

Loma Linda University;

and the George Washington University School of Medicine.

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