Is Ketogenic Diet Killing You?

Move over Paleo.

Ketogenic diet seems to be the latest trendy diet these days. When you are in ketosis (from high fat diet) your body will shift to produce ketones for energy when fat is broken down in the liver. One of the main reasons people rave about this ketogenic diet is that it can trigger weight loss as your body learns to use your own stored fat as energy.

Not only that there are some pretty fascinating researches on ketogenic diet. It looks like anything from epilepsy, brain tumour, to diabetes and heart problems can be improved when patients are on this high fat diet.

It sounds pretty amazing, right? Many so called experts are endorsing this diet for everyone.

My issue is that I don’t believe it is for everyone. I have always talked about individuality. There are no one “diet” that is right for EVERY BODIES.

For example, what if your digestion is not great at digesting all these fat? As we age enzymes in your body begins to decrease. Lipase enzymes must be present to break down fat and with all these fats coming in,  your pancreas may not be able to produce enough enzymes that you need.

Is your liver working efficiently? Strong liver that stimulates bile flow is needed to improve elimination and ensures that fats are digested properly. Plus toxins are stored in our fat cells. If you are using fat to produce energy, the liver is working extra hard to filter through all these toxins as well.

How active are you? what is your environment? Amount of exercise you do and climate are needed to be factored in when you are deciding how much macronutrients you need.

Some studies like this have found that humans consuming the ketogenic diet for three months significant increase in Desulfovibrio species, which is a sulfur-producing bacteria that might contribute to dysbiosis (having more of troublesome bacteria than beneficial bacteria). A diet high in animal saturated fats decrease certain bacteria (e.g. Bifidus bacteria) on your microbime.

And this is a big one, your genes. Having certain genes does not mean that your lifestyle and diet won’t matter. I think it is more empowering to know if you have certain genes that increase the risk of various health issues so that we can be more conscious of your decisions.

Certain genes such as APOA2, APOA5, APOe4 FAB2 and FTO may increase the risk for obesity and  cardiovascular diseases when saturated fats (especially from animals) are eaten. Unfortunately I have 3 of these genes including the “fat genes” FTO. From the researches I have done so far I won’t be doing ketogenic diet anytime soon.

In ketogenic diet you will be consuming more fats from coconut oil, butter and animal products. These contain a large amount of saturated fats.  Saturated fats were bad guys years ago. Then we thought it was’t really fat that is causing all the health problems but it actually is sugar. Now everyone is avoiding carbohydrates. I would like to emphasise that we are all different.

Listen to your body, do your research and don’t be scare to go against the most trendy diet “everyone” is doing right now.