See the Different Health Conditions That A Keto Diet Can Impact Positively
Ketogenic nutrition is truly one of the most successful of the hosts of diets in the world. It is a low carb and high-fat diet, and experts have proven that such diets with such a composition provide the body with a number of health benefits and improves certain health conditions. In fact, many studies and surveys on the keto diet have been carried out on humans, and the result came out positive, favorable, and promising.
This article elaborates on 9 different types of illnesses that a ketogenic diet can improve or benefit. If your health condition falls under one of these, then you might probably want to adopt a ketogenic diet to help your body recover fast. It is important to speak with your doctor first before adopting the ketogenic diet, regardless of what health condition you are suffering from. Informing your doctor will help you decide whether or not the diet is best for you, as a result of many factors, one of which includes the stage and intensity of your health condition.
Illnesses That Ketogenic Diet Can Improve
The following are the health conditions that a keto diet may benefit from.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common health condition that anybody across any country, status, age, or gender can suffer from. It is characterized by excessive brain activities that lead to numerous seizures. This is why most epileptic patients are administered anti-seizure medications. However, some epileptic patients do not respond to anti-seizure medications, while some cannot withstand their side effects.
According to research, a ketogenic diet can impact all kinds of epilepsy positively. There are over 10 studies that have proven this claim to be factual. One of the studies found that people who have epilepsy and are on ketogenic diets experienced 50% improvement in their health condition and a reduction of seizures of about that same percentage.
The ketogenic diet has a whole lot of health benefits and centers its health benefits mostly on the human brain. It regulates the function of the brain, reduces excessive activities, and prevents or controls activities that can lead to seizures.
In addition, recent research, after the examination of children’s brain activity, especially the brain activity of children with epilepsy, found that those on a ketogenic diet had over 65% improved and more regulated brain activities compared to other children who were not on a ketogenic diet.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes is also known as metabolic syndrome. One of its characteristics is insulin resistance. The following are triggers and pointers or symptoms of metabolic syndrome or prediabetes. If you have any of the subsequent manifestations, then you might just be on your way to suffering from diabetes.
Large waistline; over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches in women
Increased triglycerides; over 150mg/d
Low good cholesterol; lower than 40 mg/d in men and lower than 50 mg/d in women.
High blood pressure; over 130 /85
High blood sugar; over 100 mg/d
People who have these symptoms are usually at great risks of developing diabetes and other health conditions like heart diseases and others that are closely related to insulin resistance.
Fortunately, adopting and following a ketogenic diet can help reduce the effects of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome and reduce your chances of the symptoms developing into diabetes, heart diseases, and other insulin resistance health conditions.
Other benefits of a keto diet for prediabetes patients include; lower and regulated blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as regulation of blood cholesterol, which involves the total eradication of bad cholesterol and the increase in good cholesterol.
Studies found that people with prediabetes symptoms who consumed ketogenic diets experienced over 10% reduction in their general body fat, with over 50% improvement in their health condition.
Glycogen Storage Disease
Glycogen storage disease is an illness that is characterized by faulty storage and breakdown of glucose and glycogen in the body. This disease is usually as a result of certain missing enzymes that are supposed to do the storage, conversion, or breakdown of glucose and glycogen.
Most glycogen storage disease symptoms are usually first detected in childhood, and some of its characteristics include; low blood sugar, fatigue, poor growth, enlarged liver, and muscle cramps.
However, a ketogenic diet improves the condition of people with any form of glycogen storage disease. Experts even proved that keto diets provide ketones, which is an alternate food source.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome is an ailment that occurs when tiny cysts grow on the ovaries. It is caused by the malfunctioning or dysfunction of certain hormones in the female body that eventually results in infertility or irregular periods.
Women with this disease are usually obese and are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They might also experience symptoms like excess acne, increased facial hair, and other masculine features due to the over secretion of the testosterone (male hormone) in them.
Fortunately, women suffering from this health condition experienced higher fertility chances, weight loss, and reduced insulin resistance after following a ketogenic diet.
Diabetes
People who are diabetic and consume a ketogenic diet always experience an improvement in their health condition. This improvement occurs in people with both types 1 and 2 diabetes.
It reduces and regulates blood sugar, and this is true of all low-carb diets. Studies found that diabetes patients on a ketogenic diet had to discontinue their medications because the diet was already doing what the medications are doing.
Note that the keto diet is not a diabetes medication substitute or alternative. Both of them operate hand in hand to improve your health condition. So, one should not be ignored for the other.
Some Cancers
One of the highest leading causes of death in the world is cancer. No cure has been discovered for cancer yet, except when they are detected early enough. When the ketogenic diet is combined with chemotherapy medication, surgery, and radiation therapies, the result will be positive.
Diets that have low carb content have been associated with the inhibiting of the growth of tumors. Most recent studies have proven that ketogenic diets can help in the reduction of the progression process of certain kinds of cancer, especially breast and brain cancers, as well as others that can grow to other members of the body.
In fact, some researchers have proven that a ketogenic diet can slow down tumor growth, improve muscle mass, and improve the quality of life of those undergoing several cancer therapies.
Autism
Autism is an illness that is associated with communication, repetitive behaviors, and social interactions. It is also diagnosed at the early stage of a person’s life, that is, at childhood. Some therapies are used in the improvement of such conditions and help the child grow like other children (healthily.)
Some medical experts claim that autism shares almost the same features as epilepsy, as autism patients also experience seizures as a result of excessive brain activities, or in some cases, over-excitement of brain activities.
People with autism experience improvement when they combine their medications with healthy diets, such as the ketogenic diet. Some of the health impacts of the ketogenic diet in people with autism include an increase in their IQ levels and others.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is usually referred to as a nervous system disease. It mostly occurs in old or aged people as a result of brain decline due to old age. People on ketogenic diets and also suffer from Parkinson’s disease have over the years experienced over 40% improvement in their health conditions, which has also improved the quality of their lives.
Obesity
Low carbs diets have been discovered to help in the regulation and control of weight. Adopting and following a ketogenic diet can help you feel less hungry compared to calorie-restricted diets. Studies found that people who are obese and are on a low carb or keto diet lose 31% more weight than people who are not.
Other Conditions include;
- Traumatic brain injury
- Multiple sclerosis
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Migraine/headaches
In conclusion, the ketogenic diet is healthy and can help improve the condition of people suffering from certain health conditions. Following a healthy ketogenic diet involves visiting your doctor first to discuss how healthy it is for you. Ketogenic diets are not substitutes or alternatives for your medication if you are suffering from any of the above illnesses. It is best to complement your medication with ketogenic diets. Do not ignore one for the other.
