How The Ketogenic Diet Works, Guidelines And Benefits

What Is A Ketogenic Diet?

In essence, a keto diet is mainly composed of a high amount of good fats and proteins and fewer carbohydrates. The diet causes the body to release ketones into the bloodstream. Most body cells prefer to use blood sugar, which comes from carbohydrates. However, when the level of carbohydrates is low, then the body will be forced to breakdown fats to release energy, and this is where ketone bodies originate. The production of ketone bodies into the bloodstream will cause a situation called ketosis. Once the body has attained ketosis, most cells will use the ketone bodies to generate energy. The shift from using carbohydrates to use of ketone bodies happens after 2 to 4 days of taking a diet that has 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates. However, it is imperative to note that the process is based on an individual; some people need more restriction to attain ketosis while others require a short time.

Since the diet lacks carbohydrates, the ketogenic diet is rich in fats and proteins. It includes meals with plenty of eggs, meats, cheeses, fish, butter, oils, and seeds as well as fibrous vegetables. The body likes to utilize glucose for energy; however, this is not the most efficient source of energy because it brings serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes among other problems associated with a high carbohydrate diet. Glucose is the primary source of energy for your cells in the body, and when the levels of glucose are high, they are not burnt, and this, in turn, will result in the conversion of the glucose molecules to glycogen. Glycogen is stored in the peripheral and visceral organs leading to obesity.

However, as we age, we need foods that will give us adequate energy, and it is easily metabolized to reduce the chances of developing lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. The keto diet brings the body to ketosis the body will utilize the fats for energy. The reason for writing this book is for people over 50 years to make the right choice when it comes to diet. The book will help you understand various diets that will suit your age and rejuvenate your cells while preventing any kind of illnesses.

When you follow the ketogenic diet, you will be able to avoid cravings such as those of sugar and choose something healthier and one which will promote cell development. You will feel fitter, healthier, and sharper.

Is The Ketogenic Diet Healthy?

It is imperative to note that the ketogenic diet for people in their 30s is different from those in their 50s. The main difference is in the amount of energy required to do various activities. In your younger years, you will need more energy to allow you to carry out your activities easily. There is solid evidence that a ketogenic diet can reduced seizures. Since it has neuroprotective features, your brain cells will be replenished, and you will not experience memory loss quickly. Some studies suggest that a ketogenic diet can help in preventing disorders such as Alzheimer’s, sleep disorders, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. Weight loss is the most important aspect of a ketogenic diet, and you can easily lose weight with the ketogenic diet. It will help in improving blood sugar levels as well as rejuvenating your brain cells as well as give you a feel-good mood.

Although the diet is solely based on fats and proteins, you should try and take fats and proteins that are healthy. Avoid processed salty foods as well as fats with low-density lipoproteins. Eating healthy is the first way of building a better immune system and a better mood throughout the day. Choose the ketogenic diet and enjoy the benefits that come with it.

A ketogenic diet provides your body with premium fuel, which is fat, and it makes you feel fitter, stronger, and younger. You can achieve all this by following a diet that will burn away excess fat and take your body and health to a whole new level. So why is the ketogenic diet the most preferred type of diet for people after 50? A ketogenic diet is considered as a miracle diet because it will turn around your health and allow your cells to rejuvenate quickly. The body has different metabolic pathways that are essential in the production of energy. However, some are used more than others because of cellular preference. The main source of energy in the body is usually glucose, and this is the simplest form of sugar.

Most of the sugar that we consume is a pure form of glucose; on the other hand, some of the carbohydrates can be broken down into glucose. When the body runs low on glucose, it can break down fats into energy, and this is a process called gluconeogenesis. Besides, the body can run on other energy sources such as free fatty acids and ketones. However, it is important to note that the body will only run on alternative sources of energy once glucose is depleted in the system. The depletion of glucose in the body usually results from fasting or eating a diet that is low in carbohydrates.

The glucose depletion process can take anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, although this process can be sped up by carrying out various forms of exercises. As the glucose reserves get depleted, the body will compensate for the energy needs by burning free fatty acids.

High Fat and Low Carbohydrates Explained

The ketogenic diet is a low carb high-fat diet. It is known to shift the body’s metabolism from carbs towards fats and ketones. There are several versions of the ketogenic diet, and these include:

Standard Ketogenic Diet

This is a very low carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. It usually contains 75% fat, 20% proteins, and 5% carbohydrates.

Cyclic Ketogenic Diet

This is a diet that involves periods of higher carbohydrates refeeds such as two high carb day and five days ketogenic diet days.

Targeted Ketogenic Diet

This is a diet that will allow you to add carbs when you have hard workouts.

High Protein Ketogenic Diet

This is similar to the standard ketogenic diet, but it has high levels of proteins. The ratio is often 60% of fat, 5% carbs, and 35% protein.

However, it is important to know that the main diet that is favorable to people after 50 is the standard ketogenic diet. Cyclic and targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced and often used by athletes and bodybuilders.

Getting into Ketosis

Initially, the body will rely more on free fatty acids before moving on to ketones. However, for cells that are unable to utilize free fatty acids, they will move to ketones. The brain cannot use them in particular because fatty acids cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, as the glucose reserves continue to diminish, the liver will begin a myriad of processes to convert the free fatty acids into ketone bodies. Once the glucose stores are completely depleted, the body will enter a state called ketosis. This is a state where the body solely relies on ketone bodies for energy.

It is imperative to note that ketosis is not an off/ on switch. However, it is rather a gradual process that causes the body to increase the production of ketone bodies. Nutritional ketosis is defined as a situation where the ketone body concentration is from 0.5mmol per liter to 3mmol per liter. A major factor that should be considered is that when the ketone concentration rises too high from 10mmol per liter, this will result in ketoacidosis, and this can lead to death. However, this occurs only in alcoholics, diabetics, and people who are starving to death. A ketone is a group composed of three chemicals acetoacetate, acetone, and beta-hydroxybutyrate. In mild ketosis, acetoacetate is the primary ketone produced. In deeper states, the beta-hydroxybutyrate becomes the major energy source.

Once you are in a state of ketosis, the body will start to excrete small amounts of ketones in urine and breath. The liver cannot utilize ketone bodies for energy, although it can process it into pyruvate. On the other hand, the brain cannot utilize ketone bodies at all. Therefore, the system will be forced to generate glucose through gluconeogenesis. Therefore, it is critical to note that even in a deep state of ketosis, the body will still produce some level of glucose.

Signs That You Are In Ketosis

Keto adaptation is a process by which the body will adapt to ketone bodies as a source of energy instead of glucose. After you have entered ketosis, the body ramps up the metabolic pathways to produce ketone bodies, and therefore, you will not lack the energy to run vital organs. It is imperative to note that the body will begin to produce ketone bodies immediately your glucose levels reach a certain threshold. The process of keto-adaptation will take 2 to 4 weeks, and this will force the body to enter into a process called keto flu. Here you might experience symptoms similar to sugar rush or mild head flu.

One of the common ways of knowing if you are in ketosis is by using ketone test strips. They will let you know the number of ketone bodies in the system. Another way is by using a blood glucose monitor. However, you do not have to go to complex ways or expensive ways to know if you are in ketosis. Some of the symptoms or indicators that will let you know you have entered ketosis include:

Increased Urination

Keto is a natural diuretic, and you will find yourself going into the bathroom more often that regular times. You can check this to the amount of water that you have consumed.

Dry Mouth

The more fluids that you release, the higher the likelihood that you will experience dry mouth. This is a natural way that your body is telling you that you need more electrolytes.

Bad Breath

Acetone is a ketone, and it is excreted through urine and breath. You can smell that fruity smell or a nail polish kind of smell. This will indicate that you have entered ketosis.

Reduced Hunger And Increased Energy

This is the most tell-tale sign of ketosis. You will find that you do not feel as hungry as often and you can go for long without food because you have more energy.

Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet To People After 50?

The essence of the ketogenic diet cannot be emphasized further because the process usually results in a myriad of changes that are beneficial to the body. When you are on a ketogenic diet, you will experience new aspects in your life, and the cell rejuvenation process will begin at a rapid phase. Here are some of the benefits of the keto diet for people after 50.

Enhanced Fat Loss And Reduced Hunger

The weight-loss experts recommend a ketogenic diet because it is highly effective in promoting long-term weight loss. In essence, you will have a better glycemic index control, and you can lose more fat within a short period than when on other diets. The ketogenic diet is known to suppress your appetite to a point where you do not feel hungry as often as you did. This is important because you will not consume unnecessary calories.

Control Blood Sugar

One of the main problems that people suffering from diabetes undergo is the inability of their body to handle insulin. A ketogenic diet will lower blood sugar levels, and the body will not produce any glucose. Since the model helps you maintain a more consistent level of blood glucose, you will have more control of the glucose in your blood.

Mental Focus

This is one of the main benefits that accrue when you choose a ketogenic diet. You will find that your energy is replenished, and the brain cells will be more active than usual.

Epilepsy

The ketogenic diet has been used to treat epilepsy since the 1900s, and it is one of the most popular diets because it enhances the moods of the individual. The cells in the body will be focused on generating rejuvenated cells. This, in turn, increases your mental alertness and can help avoid epileptic seizures.

Cholesterol And Blood Pressure

The ketogenic diet has been shown to improve the levels of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body. Less toxic buildup in the arteries allows blood to flow throughout the body as it should. Low carb high-fat diets cause a drastic increase in the high-density lipoproteins, and this will improve the blood pressure.

Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is the main reason people suffer from type II diabetes. The ketogenic diet will help lower the levels of glucose in the system. This is beneficial because there will be no sugar rush or a sudden change in cellular composition.

Helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Some of the biggest and most promising results of the keto diet on the brain happen when observing its effects on the brains of people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. When it comes to the brain itself, as well as the disorders which can plague it such as Alzheimer’s, there is much yet left to understand.

Just as there is an unknown when it comes to the cure and prevention of Alzheimer’s, there also envelopes a major mystery regarding what exactly causes the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. There are theories which are more popular and bear more weight than others, but nothing is concrete. One premise that is widely agreed upon, however, is that ketosis is an effective means of preventative maintenance.

There is still a decent amount of research which needs to be done to assess the effects of the keto diet and being in ketosis and its relation to mental decline. In small degrees, there have been studies to try and observe how being in a state of ketosis will provide valuable treatment for people who are already showing signs of cognitive impairment.

Parkinson’s disease

Not satisfied to stop there, the keto diet has even been observed to help people who have suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a complex disease, yet another in which the cause of the disease has not yet been fully discovered. There is credence, however, to the claim that Parkinson’s is affected by genetic factors as well as those of our environment and the effect that those two factors have on the processes of the cells in the body.

Over time, Parkinson’s disease results in damage to nerve cells, as well as the death of cells, which happen as a result of dysfunction with mitochondria and because of damage to the oxidation process. In short, the dysfunction of the mitochondria, as well as any oxidative damage which has occurred, will cause a decrease in the production of dopamine cells. This effect is noticed in the substantia nigra (Andrea Russell, 2014), which is a part of the brain whose role is felt when it comes to movement and behavior that is reward-seeking. As the cells which produce dopamine become more increasingly damaged, the person experiencing this phenomenon will start to notice and deal with other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease as well (Charlie Foundation for Ketogenic Therapies, 2019).

Commonly, these symptoms include rigidity to the body, tremors, moving slower, tiredness and a lack of motivation, depression, and a feeling of impairment when it comes to cognitive function. It is evident that impairment to motor functions will generally warrant the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

The idea of using ketosis and the keto diet as a method of treatment for Parkinson’s disease first began to look viable after a study was done on mice which were treated with MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6- tetrahydropyridine). MPTP is a neuron targeting toxin which has a heavy involvement in Parkinson’s disease, the implementation of which, leads to symptoms that resemble the disease as well as the damage to neurons that it causes. In order to be able to discern what change the keto diet might impact on the brain of t mice who were given faux Parkinson’s disease, the mice were fed a fully ketogenic diet. Their findings indicated that in those mice, the keto diet had acted as a protection against what damage had been done due to the MPTP that the mice were given, as well as having reduced inflammatory markers that were in the parts of the brain relevant to Parkinson’s disease (J. Sian, MBH Youdim, P Riderer, and M Gerlach, 2017).

As more extensive studies have been done, they conclude consistently that someone with Parkinson’s who is able to successfully begin and adhere to the keto diet has noticed strong improvements. This correlation has been shown to be true in studies, even when the strictness of the diet fluctuates from study to study. It would appear that the restriction of carbohydrates and the keto diet’s ability to change the metabolic function of the body to produce more ketones which replace what the body uses for energy, which in turn increases how many ketones the brain is utilizing, will provide an improvement to the symptoms of people with Parkinson’s disease.

It is important to note though, that no one is claiming that the keto diet will be or is a cure for Parkinson’s disease. There is still research to be done on the therapeutic nature of the keto diet. Based on where we are now when it comes to the science and treatment, you should be using the keto diet as a supplement to help bolster other treatments you are undergoing for Parkinson’s disease.