Is ketogenic diet really effective for weight loss?

As the saying goes, if you don’t lose weight in March, you will regret it in April; if you don’t lose weight in April, you will regret it in May... Every spring, there are many people clamoring to "be as thin as a beam of light."

So, among the various weight loss methods, which ones are reliable and which ones are not?

Today, let’s talk about the popular ketogenic diet.

0 1

What is the ketogenic diet?

A ketogenic diet is a diet that causes the body to produce ketones .

People who want to lose weight often regard fat as their enemy. In fact, fat has important physiological functions, such as storing energy.

Under normal circumstances, sugar is the main source of energy for the human body. When encountering hunger and insufficient carbohydrate intake, the human body can use fat and protein to generate sugar.

What if the situation doesn’t improve? Then simply bypass the sugars and directly mobilize fat to produce ketone bodies, such as acetoacetate, β-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone, and then use them to produce energy.

It sounds a bit complicated, but in fact, many people have come across similar situations: diabetic patients have a reduced ability to utilize carbohydrates and therefore rely mainly on ketone bodies for energy.

In severe cases, there are too many ketone bodies in the body, which diffuse out with breathing and produce a strange smell, which doctors often call the "rotten apple smell."

The ketogenic diet is to adjust the diet and choose foods that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates as much as possible, so that the human body enters a state where sugar is insufficient.

The specific extent to which you reduce carbon water depends on the diet you choose. In the most stringent diet, fat accounts for 80% of the total weight of food; generally speaking, if adults want to stick to the ketogenic diet, they need to control carbon water to between 20 grams and 50 grams.

Image source: Photo Network

What does this number mean? It is roughly equivalent to half a bowl of rice, a small steamed bun, or a handful of noodles as thick as a finger.

In comparison, experts from the Chinese Nutrition Society recommend that adults consume 200 to 300 grams of grains per day.

Image source: Photo Network

02

Can this method help you lose weight?

Can.

The ketogenic diet was originally a serious treatment for epilepsy.

Later, people unexpectedly discovered that this thing can help lose weight, and the effect is quite good.

As to why, it is not clear yet. It may cause a decrease in appetite, or affect the metabolism of fat and blood sugar. Some scholars also suspect that using ketone bodies for energy will increase the body's energy consumption in disguise.

Of course, the "very good" mentioned here is based on doctor's standards. Studies have shown that compared with general weight loss methods, the ketogenic diet can help lose about 2 kilograms more weight in a year.

It's not realistic to expect a complete transformation.

03

Do you want to try it?

This is not recommended.

First of all, the compliance of the ketogenic diet is very poor. Think of chewy noodles, fragrant rice, hot steamed buns... moderate carbohydrates are one of the sources of happiness. This means that people who use the ketogenic diet often cannot stick to it. Studies have shown that even among epilepsy patients, less than half can stick to the ketogenic diet.

Secondly, people who lose weight don’t want to regain the weight. Although the ketogenic diet can reduce weight faster in the short term, it is not better than other methods in the long run. For example, studies have shown that if the time is extended to two years, there is no significant difference in the weight loss of the ketogenic diet and other methods.

US News' rating of the ketogenic diet

Most importantly, a balanced diet is the guarantee of health. Think about our dining table. No matter what kind of food we see every day, we will find it hard to eat it, right? Some scholars believe that this is a reminder from the body: the more diverse the food, the more comprehensive the nutrition. The ketogenic diet means giving up many fruits, vegetables, and almost all whole grains.

In the short term, this may cause "keto flu" , with headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and mood swings; in the long term, the lack of nutrients may cause serious diseases, such as anemia and decreased bone density.

04

What do the experts suggest?

In 2021, domestic scholars published the "Guidelines for Medical Nutritional Treatment of Overweight/Obesity in China". It mentioned that if other methods have been tried and the results are relatively poor, and there are nutritionists and professional doctors to guide you from time to time, and you regularly adjust your diet and check your body, you can consider the ketogenic diet. In other words, it is definitely not the first choice.

Some readers may ask, the ketogenic diet doesn’t work, and it’s too difficult to control your diet and move your legs, so how can you lose weight?

Do I need to lose weight? Image source: self-made by the author

In fact, using some techniques can reduce the pain of weight loss.

For example, setting reasonable goals . From a medical point of view, losing 5% of current body weight in three months is ideal.

Furthermore, record your diet regularly to see if you have any energy intake that you don’t usually pay attention to. The calories from various sugary drinks should not be underestimated.

For example, you only need to measure your weight once a week. Doing it too frequently may dampen your enthusiasm. When exercising, don't just do aerobics. Try resistance training, such as squats and push-ups, which will be more effective.

In short, be patient with your body. Blindly pursuing shortcuts may affect your health.

Image source: soogif

References:

[1] CROSBY L, DAVIS B, JOSHI S, et al. Ketogenic Diets and Chronic Disease: Weighing the Benefits Against the Risks[J/OL]. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2021, 8[2023-03-28]. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.702802.

[2] TING R, DUGRÉ N, ALLAN GM, et al. Ketogenic diet for weight loss[J]. Canadian Family Physician, 2018, 64(12): 906.

[3] ZHU H, BI D, ZHANG Y, et al. Ketogenic diet for human diseases: the underlying mechanisms and potential for clinical implementations[J/OL]. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2022, 7(1): 1-21. DOI:10.1038/s41392-021-00831-w.

[4] MASOOD W, ANNAMARAJU P, UPPALURI K R. Ketogenic Diet[M/OL]//StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, 2023[2023-03-28]. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/.

[5] YE F, LI XJ, JIANG WL, et al. Efficacy of and Patient Compliance with a Ketogenic Diet in Adults with Intractable Epilepsy: A Meta-Analysis[J/OL]. Journal of Clinical Neurology (Seoul, Korea), 2015, 11(1): 26-31. DOI:10.3988/jcn.2015.11.1.26.

[6] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) [M/OL]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2022 [2022-06-04]. https://book.douban.com/subject/35885945/.

[7] Nutrition and Metabolic Management Branch of China Medical Health International Exchange Promotion Association, Clinical Nutrition Branch of Chinese Nutrition Society, Diabetes Branch of Chinese Medical Association, etc. Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Treatment of Overweight/Obesity in China (2021)[J]. Chinese Journal of Medical Frontiers: Electronic Edition, 2021, 13(11): 1-55.

Author: Zhao Yanchang, science writer