02/24/2019 / By Ellaine Castillo
The ketogenic or keto diet has gained much attention all over the world due to its supposed weight loss benefits. People who follow this diet limit their carbohydrate intake while increasing their consumption of dietary fats. Because of this, the body shifts from burning glucose from carbs as its energy source to using ketones from fat deposits. This process is known as ketosis. The strict restriction of dietary carbs could also help diabetics maintain healthy blood sugar levels. However, a state of ketosis isn’t always beneficial and there are many risks to consider before choosing to follow this diet.
To further understand how the keto diet helps with blood sugar, it is important to know about insulin resistance. This condition is commonly observed in patients with diabetes, or even those with pre-diabetes. It is a condition wherein the cells in the body become resistant to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for the uptake of sugars from the bloodstream and into the cells. This often results from excess body weight, too much belly fat, physical inactivity, smoking, and inadequate sleep. Although the body tries to make up for insulin resistance by increasing the production of insulin, it becomes harder for the cells that synthesize this hormone to keep up as a person’s condition worsens.
Fortunately, the keto diet has the potential to restore insulin sensitivity. It works by fixing the metabolic pathways that regulate insulin levels in the body. This means that after a time of mild ketosis, instead of having high insulin levels, a person will become more reliant on ketone bodies. Moreover, the ability of the keto diet to promote weight loss and improve fat percentage reduces the risk of developing diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Although the keto diet is generally beneficial for patients with diabetes and pre-diabetes, there are also some risks associated with this program. Moreover, the dietary plan that can get one person into ketosis might not work for other people. So, before following the keto diet, make sure that you consider the following risks:
If you’ve considered the risks of a keto diet for diabetics and still decide to follow it, here are some keto-friendly foods that are beneficial for your condition:
Read more news articles on natural ways to improve blood sugar levels by visiting DiabetesScienceNews.com.
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blood sugar, dieting, food cures, glucose, insulin sensitivity, keto diet, ketogenic diet, ketone levels, metabolic syndrome, metabolism, pre-diabetes, slender, weight loss
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