Sana Aza Ismail
Research Assistant
Department of Pharmacy
TIU-Erbil
Nutrition
Nutrition is vital for well-being, including supplying energy, supporting growth and development, sustaining cellular and immunological functions, and boosting general health.
Diet refers to consuming (legumes or starchy foods, such as vegetables), fruits, nutritional products, whole grains, and proteins.
The sum of foods an organism takes, enough nutrients essential for healthy development and activity in a balanced ratio, is called diet.
Ketogenic diet
The founder of the keto diet was Dr Russell Wilder, who used the keto diet as a treatment for epilepsy, as presented in the movie” First Do No Harm.”
A ketogenic diet is the consumption of lipids more and changes calorie consumption from carbohydrates to fat; the percentage of lipid intake in a ketogenic diet is 70%, 25% of protein intake, and 5% of carbohydrates; ATP will be generated from glucose which is formed in carbs break down, but in people, with keto-diet, ketone-bodies will generate the energy through ketogenesis, which is formed due to lipid breakdown, fat ( avocado, cheese, egg, bacon…etc.), from proteins as (fish, eat, egg… etc.).
Also, in 19TH century ketogenic diet was used for diabetic patients before insulin discovery, cancer, PCOS, and acne.
What is the body’s mechanism during regular diet and keto diet?
During a regular diet usually, carbohydrates are used as an energy source and broken down to glucose to generate energy in the form of ATP, which, due to blood glucose levels feedback, insulin is secreted. Still, in the keto diet, the energy source is fat, which generates ketone of acetoacetate, then acetone and beta-hydroxybutyrate, which comes from the metabolization of fatty acids.
During a keto diet, the body will be in “nutritional ketosis” due to the Circulation of beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetone.
Circulation of ketones in the body should be moderate and not alter the body’s Ph level as it will cause ketoacidosis, which is a severe life-threatening condition known as an extensively high level of ketone bodies which alters blood Ph and causes acidosis.
Keto-diet health benefits and its mechanism of action for obesity, unmanaged epilepsy, and diabetes.
The ketogenic diet mechanism in obese people loses 2.2 times more fat than those on small-calorie, small-fat diets. The amounts of triglyceride and HDL lipids are increased, typically losing weight outcomes are seen, and the amount of LDL and VLDL is reduced.
The ketogenic diet mechanism on epilepsy: Growing amounts of data indicate the importance of ketogenic diets in a host of neurological disorders such as obesity and high cholesterol, including diabetes; since the 1920s, people have employed the ketogenic diet to lessen seizures. The mechanism that controls seizures is poorly known. Both the low-sugar and high-fat components modify the brain’s ‘excitability’ in a unique way, lowering the likelihood of seizures.
In the ketogenic diet for diabetes, glucagon and insulin are two hormones that are secreted from the pancreas to balance blood glucose levels. Glucagon prevents the reduction of blood glucose levels, and insulin precludes the rise of blood glucose, in the nutritional ketosis state of the body, ketones are used in the body as an energy source, and as fewer carbohydrates are consumed, less glucose will be circulating, and secretion of insulin will be reduced.
“Side effects of a ketogenic diet on health”
Starting with the keto diet will cause some symptoms in the first two days to a week, known as keto-flu.
Includes starting a ketogenic diet—headache, foggy brain, fatigue, irritability, nausea, difficulty sleeping, and constipation.
When the keto diet is conducted for the long term, it will cause osteoporosis; bone density will be reduced due to too much calcium loss in the urine and acidic urine.
A long-term keto diet also affects the kidneys by reducing the amount of citrate that is released in your urine, which will bind to calcium and may develop kidney stones in future.
For how long should someone maintain a ketogenic diet?
A ketogenic diet can be maintained for at least two to three weeks up to six to twelve months, according to the National Library of Medicine, by reducing carbohydrates to 50 g/day or less, so following the keto diet will be difficult for an extended period, as it also has various side effects as in long term usage.
References used.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459280/
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/keto-diet-may-increase-type-2-diabetes-risk#The-science-behind-keto
file:///C:/Users/BEST%20TECH/Downloads/1%20(3).pdf
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/7156-ketogenic-diet-keto-diet-for-epilepsy
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/3/500
https://www.health.com/weight-loss/keto-long-term#:~:text=Following%20the%20keto%20diet%20for,the%20National%20Library%20of%20Medicine.