Keto diet may do more harm than good, inc... - Cure Parkinson's

Cure Parkinson's

25,340 members26,642 posts

Keto diet may do more harm than good, increases risk of CVD, CKD, cancer, and diabetes

JayPwP profile image
13 Replies

medicaldialogues.in/amp/die...

For most people, the possible long-term risks of the very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets may outweigh the benefits, finds a recent review in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

These diets may increase the risk of chronic disease. Red meat, processed meat, and saturated fat whose intake is typically increased in the keto diet are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and chronic kidney disease, whereas intake of protective foods (eg, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains) typically decreases.

Written by
JayPwP profile image
JayPwP
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
13 Replies
Bolt_Upright profile image
Bolt_Upright

Good stuff. The Keto guy I watch has switched to a Mediterranean keto diet. macro-plate.com/blog/medite...

Despe profile image
Despe in reply to Bolt_Upright

It appears that the combination of Keto/Mediterranean is what I referred to in the past: Body needs all the nutrients, so a little of everything other than processed/packaged foods is the ideal diet! :)

alexask profile image
alexask

Seems more of a hatchet job than a scientific study. I would love to do a keto diet but carbs are too tempting.

bassofspades profile image
bassofspades

If Keto is done clean and correctly, it prevents CVD, CKD, cancer, and diabetes. I could write a huge book on this subject, but it's hard to type on my tablet here because of the Parkinson's. Meanwhile, there's plenty of information about it out there. A good place to start is Dr Jason Fung's book about intermittent fasting, The Obesity Code. He is a nephrologist and explains fasting and Keto as preventive measures for kidney disease and diabetes. Grain Brain by Dr David Perlmutter is another great one, and he covers Keto vs Alzheimer's extensively. Sugar and carbohydrate consumption causes insulin fluctuations, which sets of a series of ...well, lots of bad stuff! And cancer survives on glucose as it's fuel and starves in its absence. Chronic kidney disease CKD is caused by the effects of insulin fluctuations such as diabetes, hypertension and severe metabolic syndrome. Cardiovascular disease CVD and diabetes are reversed by ketogenic diet.

To do Keto right means to eat clean, so avoid processed foods such as luncheon meats and artificial sweeteners. Red meat is absolutely fine if you can handle all the iron. You can certainly eat plenty of low carb vegetables, eggs, fish, poultry, pork and nuts but avoid starchy grains, root vegetables, inflammatory legumes, milk and sugary fruit!

JayPwP profile image
JayPwP in reply to bassofspades

Dr John McDougall would disagree with the last sentence.

I had written previously on Fasting induced ketosis (healthy, fat burning) and fat-feeding ketogenic diet (objective of this post)

Despe profile image
Despe in reply to bassofspades

". . .inflammatory legumes, milk and sugary fruit!"

These foods are included in the Mediterranean diet. :) Legumes have plenty of vitamins, but most importantly L-DOPA!! Whole grass-fed milk has lots of vitamins as well. "Sugary" fruits have plenty of vitamins and minerals which people try to replace with pills.

I believe a combination of both diets is ideal.

gregorio profile image
gregorio

I have been on a Keto diet almost from the time I was diagnosed, I went from a Carb life to Keto and dropped 35Lbs and never looked better. Now I read this and am concerned, how do we know what to beleve.

bassofspades profile image
bassofspades in reply to gregorio

You know what to believe because you're living proof

alexask profile image
alexask in reply to gregorio

Don't be concerned at all. A big risk factor for cancer is being overweight.

JayPwP profile image
JayPwP in reply to gregorio

If you are ketogenic via fasting and plant based diet, then no issues..

gginto profile image
gginto in reply to gregorio

Has Keto diet reduced pd symptoms? if So, stick with this diet!

Ashti profile image
Ashti in reply to gregorio

The best nutrition site I have found is NutritionFacts.org with Michael Greger. His team actively goes through all the published peer-reviewed nutrition research studies, and critically evaluates the study designs and reported results, then summarizes and reports interesting findings with short videos (with transcripts available) or blogs, with links to all the research cited - so you can evaluate the studies yourself. He even has videos and tips on how to evaluate the quality of the research. In figuring out who to believe, the best bet is evaluating the quality of the scientific research being referred to.

kaypeeoh profile image
kaypeeoh

I tried the Adkins keto diet for weight loss before a 50-mile race. I did fine for the first 25 miles but then abruptly I got muscle cramps in my legs, back and neck. I'd pitched a tent the night before the race so I'd be first on the course that morning. I was the last finisher. I had to crawl back the my tent but it was so cold the cramps competed with constant shivering. So I crawled into my truck and turned the heat as high as it would go. By morning the cramps subsided enough for the 3-hour drive home.

One of the side effects of ketosis is low sodium levels in the blood. That's what causes the cramping. IF the sodium is low enough it could stop the heart.

You may also like...

Keto diet good for certain medical conditions

why keto diets could work, but it may not be the whole story. Much of the data on how the diet...

High uric acid diet for PD?

were eating less meat and seafood to lower our cancer risk, after researching cancer diets for a...

Parkinson disease risks: correctly identifying environmental factors for a chronic disease

Parkinson disease risks: correctly identifying environmental factors for a chronic disease Karl...

Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) report a strong craving for sweets

other hand, high-sugar intake could also lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, which is...

AUTOPHAGY helps defeat BRAIN disease, says Dr Nadir Ali, M.D.

how autophagy helps defeat Alzheimer, Parkinson, and other brain diseases. From what I've gleaned..