7 Benefits and Side Effects of the Keto Diet

Have you heard about the ketogenic diet, or simply Keto diet?

Keto diet is all the rage right now. Celebrities and health influencers all over the Internet are promoting this powerful diet, but is it good for you?

We tackle seven different benefits and side effects in this article. Let’s find out more.

1. Weight loss

Perhaps the most popular of all benefits is weight loss. Keto diet for weight loss is the reason most people get into it.

Theoretically, the body can start to get used to burning fat stores rather than getting its energy from carbohydrates. This is known as ketosis, and it is what people strive to achieve.

This diet has certainly proven to help people lose weight, as long as people stick to it over the long run.

2. Help with epilepsy

Many people have adopted the keto diet for epilepsy. There is a great body of evidence that has shown that it can be beneficial in terms of reducing epileptic seizures and fits.

It is most effective in the pediatric population, with about 50% reduction in seizures after following this diet.

The positive effects are less pronounced for adults, however, many adults have also seen a decrease in the intensity of their seizures.

3. Experiencing the keto flu

Unfortunately, some people report that they start feeling sick after going on the ketogenic diet. Common side effects include feeling sick, vomiting, and feeling lethargic. This is known as the Keto flu and usually comes around after about a week.

Around ¼ people who try it may experience such symptoms because the transition to start burning fat can make you feel tired. If you experience side-effects, try to get more sleep than usual and drink plenty of water.

4. Diarrhea

Diarrhea is a common side effect because this diet is restrictive in terms of limiting the amount of fruit and vegetables that you can eat.

Often people forget to stock up on fiber which is why diarrhea comes around. The gallbladder can also feel overwhelmed and may struggle to break down fat in the diet, leading to further diarrhea.

5. Changes to athletic performance

A lot of athletes are completely convinced by the ketogenic diet for improved performance, however, a recent study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness has found that participants performed much worse with high-intensity exercise after going on the keto diet.

This study concluded that the body is in more of an acidic state, so it will limit the amounts that one can perform at peak level. However, losing weight is always going to be a massive advantage for athletic performance, so it works both ways.

6. Helping with acne

There are many different courses to acne, and one of them is related to blood sugar. Eating many refined carbohydrates can cause blood sugar to increase and affect skin health.

The keto diet for beginner tells you to restrict the number of carbs, thus limiting the amount of blood sugar in your body. The result is an increased likelihood of acne reduction.

7. Reduction of cancer

We think that one of the most poignant things about keto is that it could prevent certain cancers from forming. Some studies have found that this kind of diet works well as a complementary treatment with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

The reason for this is that it causes oxidative stress in cancer cells, resulting in their death. The fact that it also reduces blood sugar means that it reduces insulin complications, it is a hormone that can promote some cancers if it fluctuates wildly.

Conclusion

As you have read, there are all sorts of benefits and side effects of a keto diet. Hopefully, now that you have read this article, you’ll be well informed to make your own decisions on the subject. All the best!

In your opinion, what is the keto diet good for? Do you think it could work for you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.