The Ketogenic Diet

Abstract

The ketogenic diet has varied therapeutic application as well as gained popularity in pop culture for its ability to help individuals lose weight. Understanding the clinical applications of the ketogenic diet lays the groundwork to understand how researchers are exploring metabolic environments and their impacts on diseases like seizures, cancer, and diabetes. Ketosis as a chemical process and the production of ketones fundamentally changes the chemistry of the body, and for things like seizures, can have an incredibly positive impact on patients who had previously suffered extensive and drug-resistant seizure activity. Ketosis also is commonly used as a weight loss tool, especially since the introduction of medium triglyceride chain (MTC) fats as at least 30% of the persons diet. However, the main criticism of the ketogenic diet is that it is difficult to maintain, and most researchers caution against extended time spent in ketosis. This is due to the limited intake of fruits and vegetables and the potential to have severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

INTRODUCTION

The Ketogenic diet is one that is not widely understood or widely in practice. Some practitioners of “keto” are athletes – individuals who are required to train at a certain weight, and then ‘cut’ for a weight class. ‘Going keto’ is a metabolic hack to make the body lose weight quickly while still maintaining satiety and strength levels. However, in a clinical setting, ‘going keto’ has a completely different meaning and application. First, understanding exactly the metabolic process that is ketosis has to happen. Ketosis a chemical and metabolic process within the body, ketosis takes place when the body runs out of glucose stored in muscles, and must use stored fat for its energy source. This requires the body to begin to produce ketones, a measurable chemical that is present in the bloodstream, and an sterol that can be chemically produced (meaning, produced synthetically) and consumed by milligram to help the body enter ketosis more efficiently. The ketogenic diet is typically comprised of fat, protein, and very little carbohydrates. Typically, a person following a strict ketogenic protocol would only consume anywhere from 10-50 net grams of carbohydrates a day. This is calculated based on the total number of carbohydrates consumed, minus the grams of insoluble fiber also consumed. The ketogenic diet is not low calorie; on the contrary, individuals are encouraged to eat to satiety, but only to limit the number of carbohydrates consumed.

From a clinical setting, the ketogenic diet has therapeutic applications for multiple complex diseases. First, in the 1920’s, medical researchers noticed that there was a connection between