The keto or ketogenic diet sounds great. A way to lose weight where you can eat all the red meat, bacon and butter you want. It also involves restricting carbohydrate intake as much as possible.
Some doctors and specialists praise the ketogenic diet for the short-term weight loss it promises. But more research needs to be done on what actually happens to your body when you deprive it of carbohydrates. So there are some hidden dangers of the keto diet that you should probably be aware of before you try it.
What is the keto or ketogenic diet?
This diet became a solution of last resort to treat epilepsy. It involves restricting carbohydrate intake enough to maintain what’s called «ketosis,» a state the human body reverts to when it doesn’t have carbohydrates to use for fuel.
Instead of using carbohydrates to quickly create glucose (the compound the body uses for energy), the body must take from fat stores and slowly transform it into glucose.
The resulting process produces ketones as a chemical byproduct. The idea is that when the body must burn fat for fuel, the body fat will also burn faster.
What are the hidden dangers of the keto diet?
Constipation
Your body needs dietary fiber to digest food regularly and healthily. Many carb-rich foods, like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, are packed with fiber, so cutting almost all of it out of your diet to stay in ketosis can support things.
The fats and proteins that are consumed more frequently on the keto or ketogenic diet take longer to digest, which can cause constipation.
keto breath
The ketogenic diet may or may not be toxic to you, but it is definitely toxic to your breath. Studies show that people in ketosis can sometimes end up with breath that smells like nail polish remover.
It has to do with the chemical changes that occur inside your body when you enter ketosis. In addition to ketosis, other scenarios that can cause this chemical change include fasting, starvation, prolonged intense exercise, alcoholism, and untreated type 1 diabetes.
keto crotch
Your breath isn’t the only place you might notice an unpleasant odor once you’re on the keto diet. Some gynecologists and dieticians believe that the same chemicals that cause «keto breath» cause a pH change in the female part that produces a different odor, although this theory has never been thoroughly studied.
keto flu
Proponents of the ketogenic diet claim that once they start eating keto, they feel more energetic and mentally alert. But the actual experience is not as brilliant as it seems. Many who try the ketogenic diet give up after experiencing what is known as the «keto flu.»
In some studies, the keto diet produced these symptoms in more than a third of dieters. Symptoms of the keto flu vary from person to person, but generally include nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, headache, irritability, weakness, muscle cramps and pain, dizziness, poor concentration, stomach pain, trouble sleeping, and sugar cravings. Symptoms reportedly go away after a week or two, but some people don’t recover as quickly.
Ketoacidosis, one of the dangers of the keto diet
Not to be confused with ketosis, ketoacidosis is one of the dangers of the keto diet that is actually life-threatening. Ketoacidosis occurs more often in people with diabetes and is one of the reasons people with diabetes should stay away from this particular weight loss regimen.
Ketosis can trigger ketoacidosis, a condition in which the blood becomes dangerously acidic due to repressed ketones. Ketones are the acids that the body produces when in ketosis as a byproduct of using fat for energy. The high acidity of ketones in ketoacidosis can damage the kidneys, liver, and brain, and can even lead to death.
lower energy levels
The body’s main source of energy is carbohydrates. This is why, in order to use fat cells for energy, you need to restrict your carbohydrate intake so extremely. Your brain and other organs need some time to adjust to using this new fuel.
The sudden decrease in carbohydrate intake on the ketogenic diet can cause a drop in energy levels, with some dieters reporting fatigue, confusion, or brain fog.
nutrient deficiencies
To maintain a very low-carb keto diet would require almost complete restriction of grains, beans, dairy products, and fruits, as well as many vegetables.
Eliminating entire food groups can put one at risk for nutritional deficiency. B vitamins, commonly found in grains, calcium, as well as potassium and vitamin C, which are found in many fruits, are lost.
If you’re deficient in a certain nutrient, you may start to feel sluggish or experience one of these other vitamin or mineral deficiency symptoms.
poor mental health
Most people on this diet are not actually in ketosis. It is very difficult to maintain ketosis. Instead, most adults who try the ketogenic diet are basically starving their brains, and that’s obviously not so great for mental health.
In addition to fatigue, ketogenic dieters may experience mood swings and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Mental health is better when the brain and body receive adequate energy.
Reduced athletic performance
If you’re a professional athlete or just competitive with yourself in the gym, the ketogenic diet may not be for you. According to some studies, people who followed the ketogenic diet suffered a decrease in sports performance.
There’s a reason marathoners load up on carbs before a big race! Without those carbs, your body may not function as efficiently when it’s time to step up the intensity.
Risk of heart disease and stroke
When you look at the list of foods that are good for your heart, you may notice: Many of them contain carbohydrates. Also, some foods of greatest concern for your heart health when eaten in excess are fully allowed on the keto diet, such as processed meat and cheese.
Experts worry that overeating these foods is more likely on the keto diet, since keto dieters rely on fat and protein for calories. So despite some research suggesting the ketogenic diet might improve cholesterol in the short term, it’s hard to say whether eating this way is harming your heart.