Health
Is ketogenic diet good for brain and quick weight loss?
Overview of ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet is starting to become a buzzword in the world of internet. It’s because of its numerous health benefits, and it is also being promoted as a quick way to lose some extra pounds. Around 2 out of 3 American adults are either overweight or obese, as per the statistic published by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, so it’s obvious that anything that could help people lose some extra pounds will get huge attention.
Some of the foods that can be added to the ketogenic diet plan are salmon, eggs, bacon, butter, heavy creams, and others. Along with promoting weight loss, the ketogenic diet is also known as a diet that can be beneficial for certain brain disorders and to enhance overall brain health. The ketogenic diet contains a higher level of fat content, a moderate level of protein content, and a low level of carbohydrate content typically.
The idea behind consuming a low carbohydrate is to force the body to use fat for energy, instead of glucose. This leads to the better production of ketones in the body. The ketone is an acid, which is produced in the process of liver breaking down fat for energy.
How can ketogenic diet enhance the weight loss process and brain health?
As we have already discussed above, the ketogenic diet emphasizes increasing the consumption of fats, moderating the use of protein, and lowering the consumption of carbohydrates. Let’s see how this diet has an impact on weight loss and improving brain health.
1. Ketogenesis
Like muscles, the brain does not use glucose on the blood as a source of energy. It uses ketones as its primary fuel. Like said before, a ketogenic diet can increase the production of ketones in the body, it helps to provide up to 70% of the brain’s energy needs.
2. The Ketogenic diet helps to burn fat and reduce inflammation
When you start following a ketogenic diet, your body starts to burn fat for fuel, instead of sugar, which makes your body, a fat burning machine. This ultimately leads to a quick weight loss. Sugar burns as a dirty fuel, whereas fat burns as a clean fuel. There is a less cellular oxidation process when you’re burning fats, leading to a reduction of inflammation.
3. It keeps you satiated
A ketogenic diet promotes higher consumptions of fats and protein, which helps to control appetite naturally. There was a study done to test out the impact of nutrients on the body. There were two diet plans with almost the same calories: One diet plan with more carbohydrates, moderate protein, and fewer fats while the other diet plan had more fats and protein with fewer carbohydrates.
The group of people who followed the diet plan with more fats and protein were the ones who had the feeling of well being, whereas the people who followed the diet plan with high carbohydrates were always starving for foods.
4. Ketogenic Diet and Epilepsy
Some of the best brain foods can be found on the ketogenic diet menu. Epilepsy is a brain disease that is characterized by seizures, which leads to periods of overexcitement in brain cells. Some of the common symptoms of this disease are a loss of consciousness and uncontrolled jerking movement. This disease is common among children. The study shows that the use of a ketogenic diet can be used as a treatment for epilepsy and other neurologic illness.
5. Ketogenic diet and other benefits for brain
There are plenty of other benefits of the ketogenic diet for the brain. The consumption of a ketogenic diet can benefit the Alzheimer and Dementia patients. In addition to the benefits of the ketogenic diet to Alzheimer and Dementia patients, the consumption of ketogenic diet can help in improving memory, improving cognitive functions, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headaches, and more.
With all these benefits of the ketogenic diet, we can say that the people who are looking to enhance their brain health should go for the ketogenic diet.
Pros of Ketogenic diet
- It can help you lose fats quickly.
- It helps to enhance your overall health.
Cons of Ketogenic diet
- This diet plan can be very difficult to continue after a certain period
- There are some adverse side effects of implementing this diet plan, which includes kidney stones, constipation, elevated cholesterol, and more.
Conclusion
A ketogenic diet is definitely a buzzword on the internet, but the question is “should you follow the herd?” After looking at the numerous benefits of the ketogenic diet, it can be said that the pros of ketogenic diet overshadow the cons of the ketogenic diet. For the people who are desperately looking to lose weight quickly or to improve the functionality of the brain. It’s recommended for them to follow the ketogenic diet. However, it’s better for you to think before following a ketogenic diet.
Look out for some of the cons of ketogenic diet, analyze your overall health, and decide whether the ketogenic diet is for you or now.
References
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/ketogenic-diet
- https://www.benefitsuses.com/foods/benefits-of-keto-diet-weight-loss.html
Ella James
Freelance Writer