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The impact of LCHF/KETO diet on health

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LCHF stands for LOW CARB HIGH FAT diet. It can also be called a lifestyle diet, as it is definitely not one of the short-term diets. It means eating real food, healthy fats, unprocessed food and of course food that is not high in sugar and carbohydrates.

The LCHF/KETO diet has a bunch of other good qualities - it's very filling, it curbs hunger and it has a lot of positive effects on our health. Of course, we need to get the diet change right. There is a lot of literature about this and it is wise to educate yourself well before starting. In the future, we will also cover specific topics related to the LCHF/KETO diet here, so stay tuned for new posts.

Let's try to answer a few key questions related to the LCHF/KETO diet. Why would someone change their diet in the first place, and in the opposite direction to what the standard food pyramid teaches? Interestingly, Hippocrates already made the claim that food can be our medicine. Modern life, constant stress and the daily pace of life often force us not to think about our diet, to not take enough time to eat a good meal and to not pay attention to the ingredients. At the same time, we find that we are tired, have no energy, sleep poorly, gain weight, suffer from allergies, headaches and migraines and other health problems. And often stress is a very convenient excuse for all of these. But is it? What about food? There are many reasons to follow the LCHF/KETO diet, but here are a few that are scientifically backed up by a number of peer-reviewed studies.

1. WEIGHT REDUCTION

It is really easy to lose weight on the LCHF/KETO diet, but of course weight loss varies from person to person, depending on a number of different influencing factors.

2. IMPROVED BLOOD SUGAR

Studies show that low-carbohydrate diets lower blood sugar. This is especially important if you have signs of diabetes or are diabetic. (source 1)

3. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE DECREASES

High blood pressure is one of the main contributors to cardiovascular disease. Lowering your blood pressure is therefore an important step towards lowering your risk.

4. TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS ARE LOWERED

A higher triglyceride level means a greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease. High triglyceride levels are associated with several problems-obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, lower HDL cholesterol levels. Several studies show that restricting carbohydrates in our diet causes a drastic drop in triglycerides in the blood count. You can read more about this in the book Cholesterol Truths and Fallacies (source 2).

5. HDL CHOLESTEROL LEVEL IMPROVES (INCREASES)

Lower HDL cholesterol levels are associated with heart disease risk and carbohydrate restriction causes HDL cholesterol levels to rise. You can read more about this in the book Cholesterol Truths and Fallacies (source 3).

6. LDL CHOLESTEROL PARTICLE SIZE IMPROVES

LDL particles come in different sizes. On the one hand we have large, fluffy molecules and on the other hand we have small, dense, sticky LDL cholesterol molecules. Recent studies show that the size of LDL cholesterol particles is extremely important - people who have more small, dense LDL particles are more prone to cardiovascular disease. In contrast, studies show that large, fluffy LDL particles can be positive and reduce the risk factor. You can read more about this in the book Cholesterol Truths and Fallacies (source 4) (source 5)

7. INSULIN RESISTANCE

Insulin resistance is a common problem in individuals with metabolic syndrome and is associated with a poor blood lipid profile. This usually means severely elevated triglycerides and disturbed ratios between the different types of cholesterol. Reducing carbohydrates helps to improve all of these factors and consequently has an impact on insulin resistance (source 1).

8. INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES IN THE BODY (CRP) ARE REDUCED

You are probably wondering what CRP is doing on this list. CRP is an excellent indicator of inflammatory conditions in the body and, with certain other factors (especially high triglycerides), is an excellent predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. Reducing carbohydrate and sugar intake helps to reduce inflammatory conditions in the body and thus CRP levels. Many problems are associated with inflammatory processes in the body, from acne, arthritis, various eczema, psoriasis, pain... (source 6) (source 7)

9. EPILEPSY, MIGRAINES, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

When we reduce our carbohydrate intake and increase our fat intake, our body "switches" to ketones. Ketones are produced when fat is broken down and used by our organism for energy. The keto diet (a stricter form of LCHF) has been known since the 1920s, when it was first used as a treatment for seizures in children. There are several studies on the ketogenic diet and epilepsy. It is also used for treatment at the Clinical Centre Ljubljana. Epilepsy and migraines have several common denominators and in both cases the LCHF/KETO diet can have incredible effects, the reason being that it makes it harder for certain parts of the brain to take up glucose or there is some kind of interference and this can be linked to epileptic and migraine seizures. The brain generally functions better on ketones than on glucose and several studies have shown the positive effects of ketones on the brain, including in the prevention or treatment of certain degenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, etc.) (source 8) (source 9) (source 10)

10. EFFECTS ON CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER CELLS

Certain types of cancer cells can only exist in the presence of glucose as they lack the mechanisms to metabolise ketones. Which means, in simplified terms, that a strict ketogenic diet can help to beat certain types of cancer.(source 11) (source 13)

11. ENERGY GAIN AND SLEEP IMPROVEMENT

Most people begin to experience positive changes in energy and sleep within the first month of changing their diet. This is usually reflected in being more focused during the day, not feeling tired or sleepy, sleeping "like a baby" at night and having no problems waking up and getting up in the morning. A key factor in this is insulin, which is stable and does not fluctuate, and a constant source of "fuel" as fat cells are readily available and easily used for energy when insulin is low (source 11) (source 12).

12. THE HORMONAL PICTURE IN WOMEN TENDS TO IMPROVE AND BALANCE OUT

Many studies show that it can also help with infertility, especially successfully with symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Sources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2013116
https://www.docsopinion.com/2012/10/11/ten-benefits-of-a-low-carbohydrate-diet/

Sources of research:

(1) https://www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-diabetes/
(2) http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136/2/384.short
(3) http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/6/992.full
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24615175
(5) http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/10/2772S.short
(6) http://thepaleodiet.com/anti-inflammatory-effects-ketogenic-diet/#_ftn11
(7) https://www.nature.com/articles/ni.2919
(8) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4313585/
(9) https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/clinical-updates/general-medical/evaluating-and-managing-patients-with-pediatric-epilepsy
(10) https://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/parkinsons-disease.html
(11) http://www.plefa.com/article/S0952-3278%2803%2900221-7/abstract
(12) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18681982
(13) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23755243
(14) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512212003362
(15) https://robbwolf.com/2014/02/20/females-carbohydrates-hormones/

15.12.2017, Katja, LCHF Style