We will be discussing today about the various effects of low carb diet on our body.  Diet which includes low carbohydrate, high protein and high fat intake, is popularly known as keto diet.

First we are going to discuss, how exactly it works in weight loss process.  Generally, our daily diet contain maximum portion of carbohydrate. After taking food, our body produces insulin and glucose. Glucose is a primary source of energy in our body, for doing any kind of activity.  Body uses glucose from carbohydrates as a fuel for different kind of physical work.  When there is an excess amount of glucose than needed, 2 things happens.

• Glycogenesis: unused, excess glucose get converted in form of glycogen and stored in liver and muscles
• Lipogenesis: if there is enough glycogen present in your muscles and liver then any extra glucose get converted into fats and stored.

When we take low carb or ketogneic food, our body doesn’t get any option other than depending on fats for energy. When we consume ketogenic diet, our body starts to use stored fats by breaking it and taking glucose from it. The strategy behind keto diet is to use excess, unwanted stored fat from the body to get calories for energy instead of using calories from carbohydrates, which leads to fat loss.

Myths about keto diet:

• Weight loss from low carb or ketogenic diet is only water loss. It is not real:

In initial phase of ketogenic diet some of the weight loss will be water loss. Because when we change our diet routine from high carb to low carb diet, body gets busy to adapt it. Cutting carbohydrates intake causes decrease in the level of blood, sugar and insulin which leads to excess water and sodium, which is dumped by kidney out of the body. However after few days body completely get depend on fats for fuel instead of carbohydrates cause rapid fat loss which leads to weight loss.

• High fat, ketogenic diet causes heart diseases and blocks in your arteries:

There are various misconception about heart diseases. One of them is that – cholesterol and saturated fat level causes heart diseases and arteriosclerosis.  There is not any proof regarding cholesterol and fat level which actually affects the heart condition.  Low carb diet actually helps to lose weight faster than any other without affecting the cardio vascular condition. In fact according to various studies, high carb diet along with high insulin and sugar level are responsible for various heart diseases.

• High protein diet causes damage to the kidney:

First thing I want to clear here that, low carb or ketogenic diet is not high protein diet but it is a high fat diet. The diet contains high fat with moderate amount of protein. The person who is healthy and doesn’t have any kidney disease, can take high protein diet and it is perfectly safe. There are various researches and evidences are present regarding this.

• Ketoegenic diet causes ketosis which is very dangerous:

People get confused between the ketosis and ketoacidosis. It is the ketoacidosis which is dangerous not ketosis. So what is the exact difference between two? Ketosis is a controlled insulin regulated process, which produces little amount of fat and ketones in case of fasting or in low carb diet.  Ketosis is a normal metabolic state of the body, when person get low carb diet or person is in fasting. In ketogenic diet, body uses fat as a fuel, when glucose level is low in the body. It is a completely safe because metabolic process unless you are diabetic, lacking insulin or you are raging alcoholic. Well formulated, Ketogenic diet is not dangerous at all because it is regulated by insulin within the body.

In contrast ketoacidosis is a condition occur due lack of insulin in the body, it generally happens in the diabetic patient. Lack of insulin or extremely low level of insulin rise high sugar level and also stored fat streams from the fat cells, results in to abnormal and excessive production of the ketone bodies. The combination of high sugar level along with high ketones causes imbalance of acidic or base level within the body, which is very dangerous.

• Low carb diet causes muscle wasting:

This misconception got spread because of the half knowledge of trainers and nutritionist about muscle preservation. They will tell you that, brain requires 100 grams of carb per day, and if you don’t fulfil that need then your body will breakdown your muscle to get it. It is only true in the cases where insulin and sugar level are high with high carb diet, and there are no ketones available, as an alternative source of brain fuel. But the person who adapted ketogenic diet, ketosis provides fuel in form of ketone bodies for the brain, and requirement for glucose reduced to only 40 grams per day. This amount can easily make out by body, through consuming glycerol (from the breakdown of fatty acids) and from dietary products.

The person who is on low carb diet or on keto diet, have great retention of muscle mass than person of high carb. Because due to high carb diet, some of the protein get displaced which would have helped them to retain muscle mass.