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The Ketogenic diet is a low carb diet where carbohydrates are drastically reduced and replaced with fat which forces the body into a metabolic state known as nutritional ketosis. Ketosis is a fat-burning state and has been used for its neuroprotective, weight loss, and anti-inflammatory benefits for well over 100 years.(1) In fact, modern research has shown that ketogenic diets have protective benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease among others(2).

Ketones are an alternate fuel to glucose. (The presence of glucose the body will store fats as they are not needed for energy(3).) In ketosis, without carbs, the body must switch its entire metabolism to run on fat instead of glucose. Insulin levels become very low and fat burning increases dramatically. This is great if you are trying to lose weight(4) or keep sugar levels in control(5). Many organs in the body can burn fat directly but not the brain. The brain relies on glucose or ketones for fuel(6).

The level that we have to restrict carbohydrates to get into ketosis will vary from person to person however, keeping daily carbohydrate intake below 50 grams will put most people into ketosis. It’s best to gradually lower your carbohydrates to give your body an easier time switching from sugar burning to fat burning. It will generally take 2 weeks of ketosis before the body fully adapts. During the transition phase it is common to experience fatigue, sugar cravings, brain fog, irritability, and dizziness, a group of symptoms collectively called the “keto flu”.

Enter ketone powders, hot new supplements that we can use to prevent the “keto flu” altogether. Ketone powders directly supply the body with exogenous (made externally) ketones which we can use for immediate fuel while our natural production is still ramping up(8). Ketone supplementation also helps us stay in ketosis even if we decide to cheat a little bit on the diet or just want to eat more than 50 grams of carbohydrates in general. This means that you can get all the benefits of the state of Ketosis (ketone production) without the discipline required for nutritional ketosis!

The ketogenic diet and exogenous ketone powders appear to have strong health and longevity benefits, especially for helping to reduce cancer risk and supporting weight loss, cognitive enhancement and diabetic health(9). We recommend stopping by the Shoppe and talking to one our trained nutrition staff to find out more about ketogenic dieting and supplements to support your health goals. Talk with your doctor if you are taking medication for diabetes or blood pressure or are breastfeeding before considering the ketogenic diet.

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17332207
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001/
3. http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/276/3/E409.long
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC333231/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14525681
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3884391
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14769483
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4743170/
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14769489

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