Kaila Acheson – Anchor staff
In this day and age influenced heavily by modern science, diets are increasing in number but yet it is still difficult to tell if they would actually be beneficial to your health. A recent fad has been the Ketogenic diet because it is fairly easy to follow and many people have seen success. The question is, what does the Keto diet do to your body?
The Keto diet was discovered by Dr. Russell Wilder in 1923 while working at the Mayo Clinic, attempting to find a treatment for epilepsy. Keto mainly focuses on low carbs, moderate protein and high fat.
Supposedly, it can both help someone lose weight and improve their overall health. Studies have shown that Keto does not only help you lose weight, but can also help with chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Keto works by eliminating carbs from your diet and primarily consuming natural fats. By doing this, the body burns more fat for energy, feeding the brain energy. This puts the body in a state called ketosis.
According to U.S. News, the Keto diet does not rank high in effectiveness in comparison to other diets. Keto is effective in the realm of weight loss, yet is ranked low in effectiveness on overall health. Being in a constant state of ketosis can become harmful because without the consumption of carbs, the body only burns fat. Fat is necessary on the body and carbs are an essential part of your diet. With the absence of carbs, dehydration and a chemical imbalance in blood flow, become a dangerous possibility.
Although there is evidence of Keto being bad for your health, if it is not followed to the extreme it can have its benefits. A woman reported to Business Insider the effects of the diet on her after one month and she claimed that it “vastly improved her life,” but she did admit to cheating and consumed some carbs every week.
After exploring both sides of the story, it is difficult to tell whether the Keto diet is a good option for someone trying to make a lifestyle change. Overall, research seems to have shown that if the Keto diet is followed in moderation and some carbs are consumed, then it would not be harmful to your health.