7 Dangers Of The Keto Diet
THE KETO DIET IN TODAY'S SCENARIO
In today's generation, no one is able to take care of their health in the actual prescribed ways which are necessary for a person's wellbeing. People resort to unhealthy food habits, ill habits like drinking and smoking frequently, eating a lot of junk, gram of carb diets, excess high protein, skipping meals of the day, not having a balanced diet etc.
In the long term, these ill habits show their repercussions and they are not quite good. People start getting obese at a very small age, they tend to develop chronic diseases such as heart diseases, kidney stones ( uric acid stone etc), type 2 diabetes etc.
After all this, people finally start resorting to healthy dietary regimes such as Ketogenic Diet, Vegan Diet, Gluten Free Diet, etc so they can reverse the bad effects which have taken place in their body and lose weight, burn fat etc.
Keto is one such diet which is getting popular amongst today's generation and people are following it as a trend. It is also known as a Ketogenic diet and basically deals in low carbs and high fats so that the body can utilise proteins and fats for energy as the primary source of energy instead of glucose.
Keto has been known to be effective in curing, preventing and reversing the ill effects of many diseases, helping in losing weight, getting rid of PCOS etc but just like every diet is not suitable and advisable for every person, even Keto is not.
SIDE EFFECTS OF THE KETO DIET
Apart from the endless health benefits Keto offers to a dieter, it has many side effects as well which may cause serious health problems if ignored. The side effects may obviously not show up in every person following the diet but it is advisable to consult a doctor and get a routine checkup plus allergy test done before going for Keto.
Before you consult your doctor for the potential ill effects of Ketogenic diet on your body, here we will delve into 7 of the most common dangers/side effects of the Keto diet which every beginner should know irrespective of any allergy.
- TREMENDOUS MUSCLE LOSS
A Keto diet is basically a fat rich diet, so it is obvious that the body will consume more and more fat and burn the fat equally in the absence of any other form of energy in the body.
Most of the people following the Ketogenic diet do it for losing weight or getting rid of obesity by burning extra fat. The people tend to lose the extra fat from the body but they keep on losing weight in tremendous amounts since protein alone is not very much effective in building muscle for the body. However it depends on person to person.
- FORMATION OF KIDNEY STONES
Kidney stones and other major renal problems are well noted side effects that can be caused by the Keto diet. Studies show that if children are following the keto diet as a treatment for epilepsy, around 1 out of every 15 children is prone to develop kidney stones in the future and it might cause other renal problems as well.
Children taking potassium citrate supplements noticed a decreased likelihood of kidney stones and other renal problems. Therefore, parents should be very cautious while their children are following the Keto diet and should check with the doctor first.
- DEHYDRATION AND LOSS OF ELECTROLYTES FROM THE BODY.
In the initial days of following the Keto diet, due to Keto flu and other problems, the body tends to lose a lot of water and salt which might end up causing dehydration and loss of electrolytes.
The body is not accustomed to a sudden reduction in the carbohydrates and it is used to create glucose from carbohydrates. But when the person is following the Keto diet, his body adjusts with ketones produces from digested fats
The kidneys release more electrolytes as insulin levels fall in the body due to which dehydration and loss of electrolytes take place.This effect is generally known as Keto Flu, which mainly causes temporary side effects such as constipation, dehydration, nausea, headache, fatigue, body cramps, irritability etc Therefore to cope up with the side effects of Keto Flu, the dieter is advised to drink plenty of water in the initial days.
- NUTRITION DEFICIENCY DUE TO LOW INTAKE OF FOOD
Keto is a very strict diet, if the dieter consumes more than the prescribed amounts of carbs, fats and proteins, the diet may fail and there would be no good results. When carbohydrate intake becomes low in the body, fiber consumption tends to be low as well. This tends to cause a serious nutrient deficiency in the body.
To cope up with this, adding lower-carb sources of potassium to the diet, including extra virgin olive oil, avocado and spinach as well as lower-carb sources of fiber, such as chia seeds, hemp and flaxseed can ensure that the body does not face nutrient deficiency.
- BOWEL PROBLEMS AND CONSTIPATION
Fiber is one of the most important elements of the balanced diet, it ensures smooth bowel movement and avoids constipation problems in the short term. In a Keto diet, many fiber rich sources of food such as beans, fruits and whole grains are restricted, excess carb intake is restricted due to which the person misses out the benefits of a balanced diet such as laxation and microbiome support which tends to cause constipation in the body. Constipation is also a very common side effect in children taking up the Keto diet for the treatment of epilepsy.
- PROBLEMS RELATED TO MENSTRUATION/PERIOD CYCLE
A woman's menstrual cycle can have very drastic changes on Keto diet. Studies show that periods may become irregular or completely stop on the keto diet due to rapid weight loss.It happens because of serious drops in gonadotropin-releasing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estrogen, and progesterone.
Long-term disruption of menstruation can bring on serious side effects, including low bone density, early menopause, infertility, risk factors related to cardiovascular diseases, depression, anxiety and sexual dysfunction. Hence it is very important to contact your ob-gyn if your menstrual cycles become irregular or if you stop having periods on a Keto diet.
- HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND RISK OF HEART DISEASES.
The ketogenic diet eating plans don't put a cap on saturated fat or even trans fats, hydrogenated oils.These fats heighten your LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels and lower your HDL or "good" cholesterol levels. They also raise the risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association's studies.
This collective problem of high levels of bad cholesterol will eventually lead to heart problems such as cardiac arrest, cardiac blockage which can turn into serious issues. Therefore it is recommended that people already suffering from such diseases refrain themselves from following the Keto diet.
THE BOTTOM LINE
After having read the 7 major side effects of the Ketogenic diet also known as the Keto diet, one must get the basic idea that Keto diet can give the best results depending on the person's preexisting health conditions, their body metabolism along with many other factors.
It is a general norm that people with kidney diseases or a history of food disorders should avoid the Keto diet, and people with type 1 diabetes may want to avoid it, as well.Therefore it is recommended that regardless of having any preexisting problems, before following the Keto Diet, one must consult the doctor and the dietitian to get a brief idea of how the diet can result for them keeping in mind the body structure and the metabolic state of their body.
Leave a comment