Speed of symptom relief with Keto

[jeeves19]

Hi all. I’m back on this after a short stab in my early days with the disease. Been in ketosis for about 5? Days. Was wondering at relationship between time and symptomatic relief. Not naively expecting to feel much after 5 days but had anyone out there been in this long term? What I think I’d like to know is whether the longer you stay on Keto, does symptomatic relief increase accordingly? And also, does it reach a plateau whereby symptom relief stalls? For those of you considering it btw it’s easier than say 3 years ago. Lots of excellent recipes on the web.😊

[MBAnderson]

My theory is; nutrition, in general, to include Keto, takes months, perhaps a year or more to affect maximum benefit. So, I suspect whatever benefits you going to get from it are going to be more significant in 5 months then 5 days.

Congratulations on getting in ketosis. It's not easy.

[jeeves19 in reply to MBAnderson]

Thanks MBA. I’m judging by Ketostix which some say aren’t reliable but I seem to consistently be ‘in the red’ whenever I test so I think I’m doing something right. Thanks for signing in and honestly, it’s quithe easy these days especially now I have time on my hands. I can even make decent bread from nuts!😆

[jenniferdunstan in reply to jeeves19]

I admire your plucky spirit Jeeves19! I found Dr. Atkins diet esp. good at killing sugar cravings but haven't worked up the psychic energy to take that on ketosis right now. BTW, I found making smoothies with unsweetened coconut yogurt, stevia and low sugar fruit to be fairly satisfying. Coconut yogurt has a whopping 50% calcium per cup and I need that for osteoporosis. I was suprised at how little calcium cheddar cheese has, though cottage cheese has a decent serving of it - 30% a cup if I remember right.

[jeeves19 in reply to jenniferdunstan]

Thanks Jennifer.

[jenniferdunstan in reply to jeeves19]

I realized after my post that soy yogurt would be more heart healthy as upon checking, it turns out that one cup of coconut yogurt has 33% RDA saturated fat. I normally eat two cups a day. Not for long...

[LAJ12345 in reply to jenniferdunstan]

Is that 50% of the daily requirement?

[jenniferdunstan in reply to LAJ12345]

Coconut yogurt has 50% calcium per 8 oz serving. However, just learned it also has 33% saturated fats...

[LAJ12345 in reply to jenniferdunstan]

Sorry, I mean when you say 50% do you mean 50% RDA?

[JohnPepper]

Hi Jeeves. What symptoms is Keto supposed to help?

[jeeves19 in reply to JohnPepper]

Unsure yet John. I’ll keep you posted!

[PDConscience]

Hey Jeeves, I'm at a similar point in the process. After my fasting blood glucose (FBG) was showing me stuck in the 'pre-diabetic' range for a prolonged period (126-129mg/dL), the connection between all the refined sugars/processed foods that I'd let slip into my diet was finally hammered home. Together with checking my blood sugar levels, I had began intermittent fasting (IF) which, by limiting my food intake to a max of 6-8hrs window/1-2 big meals p/day (usually 2), ensures that liver glycogen (aka sugar) is depleted from your system (typically within 12-16hrs) and autophagy is amped up.

For these past several days my FBG (82-86mg/dL), as well as my PPG (2hrs after eating - 86-114mg/dL), is back within 'normal' range. This may explain why more and more doctors are recommending IF, along with dietary adjustments, to their T2D patients lately. IF (along with adequately restricted carbs) also greatly facilitates maintaining a state of ketosis.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've recently resumed using my glucose/ketone meter and have maintained a low-moderate level of ketosis (4-8 GKI) for these same past few days. After a recent hike last week while still in a fasted state, I regIstered a 'high 'level' (2 GKI) of ketosis. I too intend to make a proper 2nd attempt at the keto diet in days ahead.

*BTW: A great tool to monitor/graph your ketones/GKI (glucose ketone index) is an app called 'KetoLogger'. Along with my glucose/ketone monitor, I'm also considering picking up a minimally invasive 'Freestyle Libre' glucose monitor which continuously tracks/graphs your glucose levels for 14 days. A great reference site for keto issues: perfectketo.com/track-your-...

[MBAnderson in reply to PDConscience]

PD,

You should be pretty happy with what you've achieved with your glucose. I just started using my meter and I'm all over the map.

It would seem like you're probably feeling some benefit between keto, fasting, and Viome/diet?

Are you hoping to stay in the state of ketosis or were you thinking of going in and out?

We tried Keto for 18 months, but never quite got there (for more than a few days at a time) through carb restriction alone. (I did lose 25% of my body weight, though.) It is easier for me to achieve through IF which I put right behind exercise and diet.

I'll have to check out ketologger.

[PDConscience in reply to MBAnderson]

MBA, Pls excuse the slow reply. After a few weeks of sticking with the intermittent fasting and low-carb/keto diet, I do sense a modest improvement on several fronts including stamina, focus, and general disposition/outlook. Time will tell if it's all my imagination. The Viome recommendations do help in shaping of a lot of my dietary choices. For one thing, it indicates (as does my 23andME 'traits' feature) that milk/dairy/lactose pose little problem for my - and my microbial - genetics (which makes keto a bit easier). It also identifies 'eggs' as one of my 8 'superfoods' so I no longer hesitate about dumping some cheese in my monster omelet (I'm only eating once or twice p/day) or about topping it off with some sour cream along with all the hot sauce and avocado. I intend to give the it a proper, more-informed effort this second time around with the help of closer monitoring.

As you know, along with the growing number of studies that are finding links between Parkinson’s disease and type 2 diabetes, there are also studies (both completed and ongoing) that indicate positive benefits through the use of certain popular diabetes medications (Exenatide/Liraglutide) on the progression of Parkinson's. It's worth noting that the primary function of these drugs is to control elevated blood sugar levels - the same thing a well-structured low-carb diet is proving effective in accomplishing.

At the same time, it's well-established that autophagy, "the natural, regulated mechanism of the cell that disassembles unnecessary or dysfunctional components" (components like damaged alpha-synuclein proteins), is amplified through the practice of regular fasting.

With that in mind, it seems reasonable to suspect that a low-carb diet and regular exercise combined with intermittent fasting could deliver tangible benefits to pwp - time will tell.

[MBAnderson in reply to PDConscience]

It's good to hear you think it may be working. I wonder if you/we are a little bit less susceptible to the placebo effect now then you might've been earlier?

Agreed and it's only been in the past Several months that I have come to appreciate the importance of controlling blood glucose. I've only been using my glucose meter for a few days, but I'm keeping a log of which foods cause the biggest spikes.

My results from Viome Call for me to discontinue all coconut-based products. Go figure. Exercise, fasting, blood sugar control, and diet may do more for me than everything else combined.

Please keep us posted.

[jeeves19 in reply to PDConscience]

Good to hear from you PD. Thanks for the info and I hope that you're doing okay. I'll check out the link and add it to my resources. I've found DietDoctor an invaluable site as it offers meals that the whole family seem able to enjoy. That was one of my obstacles when I tried it a couple of years back but now that I don't work I have no excuse when it comes to creating decent dishes for all. Must admit that I'm still wedded to the Ketostix as I just can't seem to be arsed drawing blood daily. But who knows? I like sound of the FreestyleLibre though!

[jeeves19 in reply to PDConscience]

Forgot to say, will be fasting three days out of the seven. Easier said than done but have already done 2 of these 24 hour ones. Read an interesting article on how this model can reverse many symptoms of MS so it sounds a sensible protocol. Just checked the Libre. Nice, but not cheap. What are your observations re. Keto and blood sugar? Does Keto promote healthy blood sugars or is the picture more complicated?

[Hidden]

I’ve done low carb for a year and keto since middle of november. I generally feel much better.

Good advice and recipes on dietdoctor.com. Also lots of first class advice on YouTube on dr ken berry videos.

Keep it up and keto on😊

[Hidden]

If you have managed to achieve ketosis, you need to keep an eye on fat. If the body uses up stored and dietary fat supplies through lack of available carbs, it will start to consume muscle. On that front, it is good to remember that the heart is a muscle and it is not good to weaken it!!

[Kia17]

Key to many chronic diseases door is adjusting insulin resistance with IF and or ketogenic diet.

[Hikoi]

Jeeves, cant remember but I think you are stiffness dominant. Anyway this recent trial

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...

had an unexpected finding - the ketogenicdiet increased some participants tremor and stiffness. Matt, the researcher, mentioned this (at a presentation I attended) and also wondered if the trial had been longer whether those who experienced this would find that tremor and rigidity improved. Be interesting to hear yours and others experience regarding this.

[jeeves19 in reply to Hikoi]

Thanks Hikoi. Hope all's going well.