You’ve heard all the buzz surrounding a keto diet, but what is it, and are there health benefits that can come from following it? The answer to that is yes, many health benefits can occur if you follow a keto diet correctly.
What is a Keto Diet?
A keto diet works by limiting the number of carbohydrates and replacing it with healthy fats and protein, so instead of the body burning sugar for energy, it burns fat. This kick starts your weight loss goals and can have many other positive effects on the body.
What are the Health Benefits of Going Keto?
Going keto has a multitude of health benefits, besides weight loss. Since protein keeps you fuller, longer, you’ll feel less hungry and more likely to stick with the diet. This can lead to tremendous success with losing the weight and keeping it off.
It can also benefit your heart health by lowering your triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising your HDL (good) cholesterol. Keto dieters have also seen lower blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
What Health Problems Can it Help Improve?
Many specific health problems can greatly benefit from following a keto diet. These include:
- Epilepsy and other brain disorders
- Metabolic syndrome
- Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD)
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Diabetes
- Brain and other cancers
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Obesity
- GLUT1 Deficiency Syndrome
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Migraines
A keto diet is by no means a cure to any of these health problems, but it can significantly improve the symptoms experienced with them.
The bottom line is that a keto diet can positively affect the body’s nervous and metabolic system. In combination with other treatments and under the supervision of a medical professional, a keto diet can be a healthy plan to follow. You should discuss the risks and benefits of this change with your doctor.