3572: What are the Risks and Drawbacks of a High Fat and Low Carb Ketogenic Diet on Nutrition Advice

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[00:01:01] Welcome back to another special Friday edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your questions. On the other days, I read health and fitness blogs to you, kind of like an audiobook. As I always say, I want this to be a place where you can learn about the truth, where we can break through some of those myths about health and wellness, and allow you to hopefully get the latest and most valid information. So, let's hear today's question and start optimizing your life. Hello.

[00:01:32] Hello. I'm a listener of your podcast from Bangkok, Thailand, and I wanted to know whether if you could tell me the drawbacks for a ketogenic diet. I've been doing that for a long time now, about three months. I don't know whether that's long or not, but it's been working very well, and people have been telling me that it might not be such a good idea, because there are a lot of drawbacks. What would you suggest? Thank you.

[00:02:01] Thank you so much for your question and for listening to the show all the way from Thailand. Now, in my opinion, following the ketogenic diet for three months is pretty darn good. I'm glad to hear that it's been working well for you so far. There are some concerns that I have regarding its longer-term effects, so let's dive right in. Now, a ketogenic diet has been used, oh, almost for a century now, to treat epilepsy. Fast forward to today, and this diet is being used to help treat a number of health conditions.

[00:02:29] But it doesn't always mean it's effective. If not, then why the sudden jump in popularity? Well, part of the ketogenic diet's more recent popularity isn't necessarily because it's effective for the treatment of health conditions, or that it's useful for weight loss in the long term. Instead, we can attribute much of its popularity to athlete and celebrity endorsements. In fact, a handful of world-record-setting endurance athletes swear by the ketogenic diet and insist that it's played a large role in their athletic achievements.

[00:02:59] So what's so special about this eating pattern? Typical American diets consist of about 60% of one's daily energy, think calories, coming from carbohydrates. About 15% of our daily energy intake come from protein, and about 25% from fat. Contrast this with the ketogenic diet, which requires 10% of one's daily calories coming from carbohydrate, so a very small amount,

[00:03:25] about 20% coming from protein, and a whopping 70% from fat. Essentially, it's a lower-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. Now, it's called a ketogenic diet because this lowered consumption of dietary carbohydrate leads to the buildup of these things called ketones in the body. I'm sure you're aware of one really common type of ketone already, nail polish remover, also known as acetone.

[00:03:51] Acetone is just one type of ketone, and yes, when our bodies are in a state of ketosis, meaning the body's creating ketones, one of the ones produced is actually acetone. If you were to follow this diet over a period of two weeks or longer, you would be in a state of ketosis, meaning your blood levels of ketones have increased to a higher-than-normal level. So, back to your original question. Is this bad? Is it possible that following such an extreme diet could be beneficial?

[00:04:20] Well, based on observational case studies performed in the 1920s, explorers observed Inuit populations consuming large amounts of dietary fat and not a whole lot of carbohydrates. If we think about it, it kind of makes sense. There aren't a whole lot of foods high in carbohydrates when you're living near an arctic tundra. Rather, much of their diets came from high-fat animal protein. Now, at the same time, they didn't appear to suffer from chronic diseases that we commonly see in Western societies.

[00:04:48] Fast forward to today, and we find a renewed interest in this diet. And again, much of this can be attributed to athlete endorsements. More studies are being conducted to test the effects of the ketogenic diet. But we need to keep in mind that many of these studies have recruited elite athletes as participants. When we examine the results, we find that during activity, these athletes burn more fat as fuel and were able to improve their endurance. It's often assumed that the ketones are what helped this extra fat burn.

[00:05:17] But here's something else we're learning. Those with Inuit ancestry may have a special genetic adaptation that helps them thrive on a ketogenic diet. This means a genetic adaptation is something that they have but the rest of us don't. This adaptation may prevent their bodies from producing ketones and being in a long-term state of ketosis. So, what happens when the rest of us follow a ketogenic diet?

[00:05:43] We know that in the short term, it appears to be relatively safe for otherwise healthy folks. But when switching from a standard American diet, which consists mostly of carbohydrates, to one of mostly fat, there will be some side effects. Complaints range from feeling fatigued, which could be the result of having low blood sugar due to the decreased intake of carbohydrate, constipation, also likely due to the reduced carbohydrate intake, or in some cases diarrhea because of the increased fat.

[00:06:12] Some may also develop gallstones, and there's the risk of developing vitamin deficiencies. Some other recent findings reveal that following a ketogenic diet may influence the type and number of good bacteria in our gut. More specifically, it might limit the number of these good bacteria in our microbiome. As a result, it can change our bowel habits and possibly increase our risk for other chronic conditions. We're also learning that in some folks,

[00:06:38] eating a high-fat diet may increase the number of these things called lipid peroxides in the body. Lipid peroxides can form when our bodies metabolize fat. In turn, they may damage healthy cells. So, we really don't want these things in the body. Hopefully, we'll have the results of longer-term studies in the near future to give us a better picture of what's really going on. In the meantime, if this type of eating pattern continues to appeal to you,

[00:07:04] it would be wise to discuss this diet with your physician to be sure that it's safe given your current health status and prior health history. For others that are looking to try this out, I recommend you incorporate this pattern of eating very slowly to prevent any uncomfortable side effects. Pink Panther us here. Coach and Spotify are teaming up to bring music and style together, and they want you to be part of it. Grab your friends and head to the Tabby Tour,

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[00:08:01] For joy rides, campfire cheers, and peak views. We know what to give the people you love who love to get out there. Because we're out there too. Just stop in and ask a green vest, like me. For the best gifts out there, shop in-store or at REI.com. Thank you again for your question, caller. Now, if you want a physical copy of our Optimal Living Daily Workbook shipped to you for free and you're in the U.S.,

[00:08:30] send in a relevant health-related question. It can be about diet, fitness, nutrition, stress management, anything along those lines. And your question will be answered right here on the show. Now, if you're outside the U.S., we'll send you a digital version of the workbook. So, to send in a question, you can email one to health at oldpodcast.com. Or if you want to send in an audio question and have your voice played on the show,

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[00:09:25] Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend. And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.