The ketogenic diet works because when you restrict dietary carbohydrates, your body's main source of energy, your body breaks down stored fat and creates ketones to use as an energy source. Yes, but that answer comes with a qualifier. It takes two to three weeks on the diet to start fat burning (ketosis) in the body. Some studies have shown that following ketogenic diets low or very low in carbohydrates helps people lose weight.
However, in the long term, there is little difference between a ketogenic diet and a high-carb diet. The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with Atkins and low-carb diets. Unlike calorie restriction, ketogenic diet helps you lose weight by putting your body into ketosis. When you eat a minimum of carbohydrates, your body produces ketones for energy.
Ketones are produced in the liver from fatty acids found in food or in body fat itself. Therefore, the liver burns fat to produce ketones. Ketones are used for energy instead of carbohydrates. The diet works by depleting the body's sugar stores.
As a result, it will begin to break down fat for energy. This causes the production of molecules called ketones that the body uses as fuel. When the body burns fat, it can also cause weight loss. Ketosis is a process that occurs when the body doesn't have enough carbohydrates to burn them for energy.
Instead, it burns fat and produces things called ketones, which you can use as fuel. Many people associate elevated ketone levels with a diabetic medical emergency known as ketoacidosis, but nutritional ketosis associated with a ketogenic diet and diabetic ketoacidosis are very different conditions. Only classic, high-protein ketogenic diets have been extensively researched and studied by professionals. A well-formulated ketogenic regimen has strong anti-inflammatory effects, making it easier to get rid of stubborn belly fat.
Generally speaking, if you plan to follow a ketogenic diet, you should try to consume less than 10 percent of your total calories from carbohydrates per day. Most people who follow a ketogenic diet follow a so-called standard ketogenic diet plan, which provides approximately 10 percent of total calories from carbohydrates. If you're healthy and eat a balanced diet, your body controls the amount of fat you burn, so you don't normally make or use ketones. Increasing ketones, lowering blood sugar levels, and improving insulin sensitivity may also play a key role (18, 1).
Reading food labels, planning your meals ahead of time, and bringing your own food when you visit family and friends can make it much easier to stick to the ketogenic diet. Instead, in this case, the body resorts to burning stored fat for energy through the ketosis process, leading to a buildup of ketones in the body. Therefore, it's important to eat healthy, nutritionally balanced foods while following the ketogenic diet. People taking a type of medication called sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT) inhibitors for type 2 diabetes should also not follow a ketogenic diet.
There are some ketogenic diet side effects that you should discuss with your doctor if you plan to follow the diet for the long term. While ketogenic diets are safe for most healthy people, you may experience some side effects as your body adjusts to your new eating regimen. Because of the health risks involved, experts advise some people, such as people with heart disease or people who are at increased risk of having it, not to try the ketogenic diet. If you want to try the ketogenic diet, it may be best to limit this dietary pattern to a few months and then return to a less restrictive diet that you can maintain for the long term.
The Epilepsy Foundation suggests that ketosis may reduce seizures in people with epilepsy, especially those who have not responded to other treatment methods. .
