Part of the Casswiki article series Health and wellness
A ketogenic diet is one which is very low in carbohydrates and very high in fat, and in which the body switches to a ketogenic metabolism. Instead of fueling itself mainly with carbohydrates, the body fuels itself mainly with fat and ketones. It is the most healthy diet we know of, though some (often older people) have problems adapting to it.
Nutrition, metabolism, and health
In a nutshell, this diet involves the following: the removal of the most detrimental things from one’s diet – e.g. gluten, dairy, soy, and sugar; and replacing carbohydrates with fat, while keeping protein restricted to moderate amounts. This is a large change from a “standard” diet, and therefore, before proceeding with such changes, it is important to understand what one is doing and why. We strongly recommend reading more on the ketogenic diet, as well as other important resources on diet, beforehand.
In her article “The Ketogenic Diet - An Overview”, Gabriela Segura, M.D., describes the ketogenic diet in these terms:
Our body organs and tissues work much better when they use ketones as a source of fuel, including the brain, heart and the core of our kidneys. If you ever had a chance to see a heart working in real time, you might have noticed the thick fatty tissue that surrounds it. In fact, heart surgeons get to see this every day. A happy beating heart is one that is surrounded by layers of healthy fat. Both the heart and the brain run at least 25% more efficiently on ketones than on blood sugar.
Ketones are the ideal fuel for our bodies, unlike glucose - which is damaging, less stable, more excitatory and in fact shortens your life span. Ketones are non-glycating, which is to say, they don’t have a caramelizing, aging effect on your body. A healthy ketosis also helps starve cancer cells as they are unable to use ketones for fuel, relying on glucose alone for their growth.[1] The energy producing factories of our cells - the mitochondria - work much better on a ketogenic diet as they are able to increase energy levels on a stable, long-burning, efficient, and steady way. Not only that, a ketogenic diet induces epigenetic changes [2] which increases the energetic output of our mitochondria, reduces the production of damaging free radicals, and favors the production of GABA - a major inhibitory brain chemical. GABA has an essential relaxing influence and its favored production by ketosis also reduces the toxic effects of excitatory pathways in our brains. Furthermore, recent data suggests that ketosis alleviates pain other than having an overall anti-inflammatory effect.[3]
The ketogenic diet acts on multiple levels at once, something that no drug has been able to mimic. This is because mitochondria is specifically designed to use fat for energy. When our mitochondria uses fat as an energetic source, its toxic load is decreased, expression of energy producing genes are increased, its energetic output is increased, and the load of inflammatory energetic-end-products is decreased.
The key of these miraculous healing effects relies in the fact that fat metabolism and its generation of ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate) by the liver can only occur within the mitochondrion, leaving chemicals within the cell but outside the mitochondria readily available to stimulate powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidants. The status of our mitochondria is the ultimate key for optimal health and while it is true that some of us might need extra support in the form of nutritional supplementation to heal these much needed energy factories, the diet still remains the ultimate key for a proper balance.
– Gabriela Segura, M.D., “The Ketogenic Diet - An Overview”
Transitioning
Our consensus on the best way to approach a transition to the ketogenic diet has changed over time. For many, it is possible to transition directly to a ketogenic diet, but some experience problems in doing so, and some (often older people) find that their bodies are not able to adapt well to it even over time.
The best practical guide we currently know of for those interested in transitioning to a ketogenic diet is Maria Emmerich’s book Keto-Adapted. It is short, easily read, and covers a lot of common pitfalls and ways of addressing them and avoiding them in the first place. For a deeper understanding of the scientific background, there are several works which can be read in addition to it, e.g. Primal Body, Primal Mind and Diet Research of the Cassiopaea Forum.
Our old paleo diet remains a good solution for those who are either unable to transition to the ketogenic diet, or must do so slowly. For those who are healthy and not of senior age, we however recommend starting out by giving the ketogenic diet a try. We now know more about common, solvable issues that people often run into – and the ways that people can deal with them – and a fast transition done right is both simpler and able to bring quicker benefits.
Further reading
- Keto-Adapted – Maria Emmerich, 2013
- Primal Body, Primal Mind – Nora Gedgaudas, 2009
- Diet Research of the Cassiopaea Forum – Gabriela Segura
- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living – Stephen D. Phinney and Jeff S. Volek, 2011
- Life Without Bread – Christian B. Allan and Wolfgang Lutz, 2000
References
- ↑ Rainer J Klement, Ulrike Kämmerer. Is there a role for carbohydrate restriction in the treatment and prevention of cancer? Nutr Metab (Lond). Oct 26, 2011; 8: 75.
- ↑ If the genetic code is the hardware for life, the epigenetic code is software that determines how the hardware behaves.
- ↑ David N. Ruskin and Susan A. Masino, The Nervous System and Metabolic Dysregulation: Emerging Evidence Converges on Ketogenic Diet Therapy. Front Neurosci. 2012; 6: 33
External links
Cassiopaea Forum
- Life Without Bread (The research and experiences that gradually led us to our paleo diet, beginning in 2011. Over the years since, what we have learned has further led to our ketogenic diet.)
- Ketogenic Diet – Path To Transformation? (The continuation of our dietary journey, including further research and experiences, that led to our ketogenic diet.)
- Ketoadaptation – Consensus (Why proceeding straight to a ketogenic diet is optimal for those who are able to.)
- Keto recipes (A thread where recipes for the ketogenic diet are shared and discussed; this may be very helpful for those transitioning to the diet.)
Audio
- SOTT Talk Radio Show #40: Nora Gedgaudas interview – Healing through NeuroFeedback and an Ice Age diet [with transcript]