<\/p>\n
Sure enough, keto is entering into mainstream health consciousness everywhere. Google searches for \u201cketogenic diet\u201d are at an\u00a0<\/span>all-time high<\/span>. The stream of keto-related email queries and comments I receive has seen a major uptick. Not long ago, a major publisher approached me with a keto book proposal, which I accepted. I dove headlong into a total If you\u2019re not quite ready to dive into the deep end of keto, read our beginner\u2019s guide to keto.<\/p>\n Now for a Definitive Guide to Ketosis and the Keto Diet\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n To understand ketogenic diets, you must understand the conditions that promote ketosis. And to do that, you must understand how our bodies beta-oxidize fatty acids for energy.<\/span><\/p>\n If the supply of acetyl-CoA exceeds the supply of oxaloacetate, the\u00a0<\/span>liver converts any excess acetyl-CoA into ketone bodies<\/span>. These ketone bodies are an \u201calternative\u201d energy source for the brain and body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Both carbohydrates and protein provide oxaloacetate to the liver, so both carbohydrates and protein can prevent ketone production or knock you out of ketosis.<\/strong> Carbohydrates also elevate insulin, which blocks the release of body fat and reduces the amount of fatty acids\u00a0making their way to the liver for conversion into ketones. A ketogenic diet, then, is one that limits carbohydrate and, to a lesser extent, protein.<\/span><\/p>\n Ketosis occurs\u00a0in certain instances without any dietary change at all:<\/span><\/p>\n In all of these conditions, there\u2019s a common ketogenic thread: liberation of body fat in excess of that which we can beta-oxidize. Any fat that\u00a0isn\u2019t beta-oxidized for energy will convert to ketones.<\/span><\/p>\n In one sense,\u00a0ketosis is a stop-gap solution for situations where you\u2019re burning huge amounts of body fat, like during a famine.<\/strong> Why would I want to mimic abject starvation if there\u2019s all this food around?<\/span><\/p>\n Grocery stores are an evolutionary aberration. The constant drip of glucose into our blood is a modern luxury.\u00a0For most of human history, if we wanted carbs, we had to climb a tree and extricate a bee\u2019s nest, spend hours\u00a0<\/span>digging tubers<\/span>, or wait around for the wild fruit to ripen.\u00a0We are adapted to periods of low food availability, and, especially, low glucose availability.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Plus, humans are remarkably good at slipping into ketosis. Whereas for most other animals ketosis is difficult to achieve, a human will be mildly ketotic just waking up from a full night\u2019s sleep. Heck, breastfed babies spend much of their time in ketosis despite drinking nutritionally balanced breastmilk. We\u2019re clearly meant to\u00a0produce and utilize ketones from time to time, and it\u2019s safe to assume that mimicking this ancestral milieu provides adaptive benefits.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s go over some of the major ones.<\/span><\/p>\n There are many benefits of ketosis and the keto diet, which makes it worthwhile to try for most people.<\/p>\n The ketogenic diet first emerged as a tool for clinicians to treat their patients with epilepsy. It was\u2014and remains\u2014the only thing with the consistent ability to prevent\u00a0seizures.\u00a0Whether it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Thai kids with intractable epilepsy<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Scandinavian kids with therapy-resistant epilepsy<\/span>, or\u00a0<\/span>adults with refractory epilepsy<\/span>, ketogenic diets just work.<\/span><\/p>\n Ketosis improves epilepsy via several mechanisms.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u00a0<\/span>increases conversion<\/span>\u00a0of glutamate into glutamine into GABA, reducing neuronal excitability.<\/span><\/p>\n It increases antioxidant status in the neuronal mitochondria, improving their function.<\/span><\/p>\n It reduces free radical formation in neurons, a\u00a0<\/span>likely cause of seizures<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n These effects on neuronal function and health, along with the ability of aging or degenerating brains to accept and utilize ketone bodies,\u00a0also have implications for other brain conditions, like\u00a0Parkinson\u2019s,\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s,\u00a0bipolar disorder, and\u00a0many psychiatric disorders.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ketogenic diets aren\u2019t just beneficial for brain disorders, though.<\/span><\/p>\n A Spanish ketogenic diet (keto with wine, basically)\u00a0cured people of the metabolic syndrome<\/strong>\u00a0and improved health markers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.<\/strong> Over 92% of subjects improved their liver health; 21% resolved it entirely.<\/span><\/p>\n In cancer patients, a keto diet\u00a0preserves lean mass and causes fat loss<\/strong>.<\/strong> Many researchers are\u00a0<\/span>exploring the use of ketogenic diets in preventing and treating cancer<\/span>, although results are very preliminary.<\/span><\/p>\n Since ketosis can help with major brain disorders, many have wondered whether it can improve cognitive function in otherwise healthy people. Unfortunately, researchers haven\u2019t studied the nootropic effects of ketogenic diets in healthy people\u2014yet. They have looked at people with \u201cmilder\u201d cognitive deficits, though, finding some promising effects.<\/span><\/p>\n In mild cognitive decline, a\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>ketogenic diet improves memory.<\/strong><\/p>\n In type 1 diabetics who experience reduced cognitive function when their blood sugar is low, increasing ketone production via medium chain triglycerides (found in\u00a0coconut oil)\u00a0restores it.<\/p>\n In adults with bad memory, adding ketones\u00a0improves cognition. The higher the serum ketones, the better the scores.<\/p>\n In older adults, a very low-carb diet\u00a0improves memory. Again, higher ketones predicts bigger improvements.<\/strong><\/p>\n Anecdotes abound of people with intact cognitive function going on ketogenic diets and experiencing huge benefits to their mental performance. I\u2019ve been experimenting with more protracted ketosis for some time now, and I can add my hat to the pile. What could be going on?<\/span><\/p>\n It\u00a0may clear up brain fog, that enemy of clear thinking, by clearing ammonia from the brain and upregulating\u00a0conversion of glutamate into GABA.<\/strong><\/p>\n It definitely increases brain energy production by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis in the brain<\/strong>. More mitochondria, more energy production.<\/span><\/p>\n It tends to produce a sense of euphoria. If you can parlay that into productivity\u00a0<\/span>instead of getting caught up in the sensation<\/span>, your mental output will increase. A cup of strong coffee helps here.<\/span><\/p>\n Being keto-adapted has several advantages for anyone interested in physical performance.<\/span><\/p>\n It increases energy efficiency. At any given intensity, a keto-adapted athlete burns more fat and less glycogen than a sugar-burning athlete. Long-term elite keto athletes\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>can burn<\/strong>\u00a0up to 2.3 times more fat at peak oxidation and 59% more fat overall than non-keto athletes, and they do it at higher intensities.<\/strong> They remain in the predominantly fat-burning zone at 70% of VO2max, whereas non-keto athletes switch over from predominantly fat burning to a spike in sugar-burning at 54.9% VO2max.<\/span><\/p>\n It spares glycogen. Glycogen is high-octane fuel for intense efforts. We store it in the muscles and liver, but only about 2400 calories-worth\u2014enough for a couple hours of intense activity at most. Once it\u2019s gone, we have to carb up to replenish it. Keto-adaptation allows us to do more work using fat and ketones for fuel, thereby saving glycogen for when we really need it. Since even the leanest among us carry\u00a0tens of thousands of calories of body fat, our energy stores become virtually limitless on a ketogenic diet.<\/span><\/p>\n It builds mitochondria. Mitochondria are the power plants of our cells, transforming incoming nutrients into ATP. The more mitochondria we have, the more energy we can utilize and extract from the food we eat\u2014and the more performance we can wring out of our bodies. Ketosis places new demands on our mitochondria, who adapt to the new energy environment by increasing in number.<\/span><\/p>\n Although keto is not a classical weight loss diet, it can certainly help a person lose body fat. After all, to generate ketones without eating ketogenic precursors, you have to liberate stored body fat.<\/span><\/p>\n But that\u2019s not the main mechanism for ketogenic fat loss. Ketosis isn\u2019t \u201cmagic\u201d\u2014it doesn\u2019t melt body fat away. Instead, it works for many of the same reasons a standard low-carb Primal way of eating works: by reducing insulin, increasing mobilization of stored body fat, and decreasing appetite.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Ketosis\u00a0suppressing appetite<\/span>\u00a0may be the most important feature. The overriding drive to eat more food is the biggest impediment to weight loss, and it\u2019s the reason why most diets fail. When people attempt to eat less food despite wanting more, they butt up against their own physiology. Few win that battle.<\/span><\/p>\n Ketogenic dieting avoids this issue altogether,\u00a0suppressing the increase in hunger hormones that normally occurs after weight loss.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ketogenic diets are especially effective for massive weight loss. If you have a ton of weight to lose, aiming for ketosis could help you lose body fat. Again, not because of any inherent fat-burning quality of the ketones, but because in order to make ketones you must liberate stored body fat.<\/span><\/p>\n Many diets work in the short-term and fail in the long run. Weight loss isn\u2019t worth anything if you can\u2019t keep it off. Ketogenic diets\u00a0<\/span>appear to be good for long-term maintenance of weight loss<\/span>, at least compared to low-fat diets.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ll have more details in <\/span>The Keto Reset Diet<\/span><\/i> book, but there are right ways and wrong ways to do keto. What\u2019s wrong or right is contextual, of course. It depends on several factors.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re part of a small group that uses keto to keep seizures at bay, or treat serious neurological diseases, you\u2019ll want to diligently maintain high blood ketone levels. That means sticking to very-low-carb (5-10% of calories) and low\/moderate protein (10-15% of calories). But even then, modified ketogenic diets with slightly higher carbs and relaxed protein intakes are also\u00a0<\/span>effective against epilepsy<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re doing keto for general health or weight loss, you can handle more\u00a0protein and still remain in ketosis.<\/strong> Protein will help stave off the muscle loss, and, because calories are reduced, you can handle a bit more protein without interfering with ketosis. An older ketogenic diet\u00a0<\/span>study<\/span>\u00a0in obese subjects\u00a0shows that 50% protein diets are highly ketogenic\u00a0as long as calories are kept low. And in another\u00a0<\/span>study<\/span>, subjects eating a weight-maintaining ketogenic diet ate up to 129 grams of protein without leaving ketosis (129 grams is fairly high).<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re trying to lose weight, artificially boosting ketones won\u2019t accelerate the process.<\/strong> Higher ketones do not enhance fat loss, but they may\u00a0<\/span>indicate<\/span><\/i>\u00a0it\u2019s taking place.<\/span><\/p>\n Ketogenic dieting is a big jump for some people. You\u2019re literally switching over to a new metabolic substrate. That can take some getting used to. Make sure you are well-prepared with a Primal-aligned eating pattern in place for ideally several months before you ponder a journey into nutritional ketosis.<\/span><\/p>\n Make a minimum commitment to six weeks of nutritional ketosis<\/b>. The first three weeks will be the most difficult as you transition to new fuel sources, but then you can expect breakthroughs. Some serious athletes may experience a temporary performance dip in the early weeks, but then will <\/span>come back strong after 4 weeks and beyond<\/span>.<\/span> Once you get to the six-week mark, the metabolic machinery is in place, and it\u2019s hard to reverse the adaptation. Extra mitochondria don\u2019t just disappear.<\/span><\/p>\n Get plenty of electrolytes<\/b>. You\u2019ll want lots of sodium, magnesium, and potassium.\u00a0<\/span>Try 4.5 grams sodium (about 2 teaspoons of fine salt or a little under 3 teaspoons of kosher salt), 300-400 mg magnesium, and 1-2 grams of potassium each day on top of your normal food<\/b>. Going keto really flushes out water weight, and tons of electrolytes leave with it.<\/span><\/p>\n Eat fat, but don\u2019t be crazy about it<\/b>. Just because a ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet doesn\u2019t mean you should eat ungodly amounts of fat. Being ketogenic\u00a0is more about\u00a0<\/span>not<\/span><\/i>\u00a0eating carbohydrates than it is eating as much fat as you possibly can.<\/span><\/p>\n Eating extra fat in the first 4-7 days can accelerate keto-adaptation by increasing AMPK signaling<\/b>. Dial it down after.<\/span><\/p>\n Lift heavy things<\/b>.\u00a0A common criticism of ketogenic diets is that they cause loss of lean mass. This isn\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>totally<\/span><\/i>\u00a0unfounded. If your ketogenic diet reduces appetite so much that you undereat, you might lose muscle. If you\u2019re on a super-low-protein ketogenic diet, you might lose muscle. Lifting weights prevents these issues by sending an anabolic signal to your muscles and allowing the consumption of more protein without hampering ketosis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Do lots of low level aerobic activity<\/b>. Walk, hike, jog, cycle, row. Keep things in the aerobic HR zone (under 180 minus age in heart beats per minute), and you\u2019ll increase your utilization of body fat, which will speed up ketone production and adaptation.<\/span><\/p>\n Eat vegetables<\/b>. The vast majority of vegetables are keto-friendly. Not only do they provide important micronutrients and phytonutrients, they provide negligible amounts of carbohydrates.<\/span><\/p>\n Eat berries<\/b>. Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries are all quite low in glycemic load and extremely high in phytonutrients. While eating a flat of strawberries isn\u2019t very ketogenic, a large bowlful won\u2019t knock you out.<\/span><\/p>\n Eat fiber<\/b>. Many people on ketogenic diets tend to ignore or malign fiber. That\u2019s a mistake. First,\u00a0<\/span>fiber<\/span>\u00a0doesn\u2019t digest into glucose. It doesn\u2019t \u201ccount.\u201d Second, fiber\u00a0<\/span>feeds your gut biome<\/span>, providing fermentable substrate for your gut bacteria to turn into\u00a0<\/span>beneficial short chain fatty acids<\/span>\u00a0and to provide support to your\u00a0<\/span>immune system<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n For a more in-depth look at what to eat, read my blog on what to eat when going keto.<\/p>\n You can test your blood, urine, or breath ketones. There are drawbacks to each, and unless you have a medical condition necessitating a specific level of ketones, obsessive testing may be unnecessary\/unwise\/expensive. Forget the inexpensive urine strips, as they measure only what you excrete, not what you are making and burning. <\/span><\/p>\n Once you\u2019re keto-adapted and\u00a0naturally good at burning fat, the ketone measuring devices might not put up impressive numbers.\u00a0<\/span>That\u2019s because, after weeks in ketosis, you have built enough metabolic machinery in your muscles that they run extremely well on free fatty acids and don\u2019t require much additional fuel from glucose or ketones.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re still making ketones, since your brain can\u2019t run on fatty acids and needs them to offset the glucose that isn\u2019t coming, but your muscles no longer require them. Many people who have been in long term ketosis can get by quite nicely on 20-30 net grams of carbs a day and might only show .4 or .7 millimolar ketones on a blood test, but they have plenty of energy from burning free fatty acids\u00a0and maintain muscle mass on relatively fewer calories than when they were dependent on carbs.\u00a0<\/span>Few people understand this, but it\u2019s a major benefit of keto-adaptation. You might even say that\u00a0ketogenic diets are ultimately about becoming free fatty acid-adapted.<\/b><\/p>\n Instead of objective numbers, I prefer to go by symptoms and signs. Since you\u2019re trying to divine what works best for\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>you<\/i><\/strong>, relying on the subjective signs and symptoms you experience is perfectly legitimate.<\/strong> These include:<\/span><\/p>\n Reduced urge to snack: Being ketone-adapted means you\u2019re less reliant on outside calories.<\/span><\/p>\n Steady energy: When I\u2019m feeling full of relaxed energy, calm but not sleepy, I know I\u2019m in ketosis.<\/span><\/p>\n You may have heard talk about the dreaded ketone breath, caused by the presence of the metabolite acetone (the breakdown product of the ketone bodies acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate). A sweet and fruity odor to your exhalations is a reliable indicator that you are in a state of ketosis, but it\u2019s also a likely indicator that you are not yet super efficient at burning ketones. Don\u2019t worry, that will come in short order. <\/span><\/p>\n So, are carbs out forever? What if you want to incorporate carbs for high intensity performance while maintaining the benefits of ketosis?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n First of all, it may not make much of a difference if you\u2019re just strength training. A series of recent studies looked at the effects of introducing carbs into a ketogenic diet in resistance trained adults,\u00a0<\/span>![\"Small_Keto](\"https:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Small_Keto-Reset-Diet-by-Mark-Sisson.jpg\")
immersion\/participatory journalism experience where I walked my talk, and pricked my finger for blood tests enough times to get a little scar tissue going, for several months. The book is called <\/strong><\/span>The Keto Reset Diet<\/i> and is available now<\/strong>.<\/strong> This is a comprehensive presentation to educate you on the science and benefits of ketone burning and to give you step-by-step guidance to go keto the right away, avoiding the common setbacks that happen when many adopt an ill-advised approach to something as delicate and rigorous as nutritional ketosis. You can order your copy from major retailers now. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>We also filmed a comprehensive online multimedia educational course to give you a guided immersion experience that is available at ketoreset.com.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Where Does Ketosis Come In?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Adaptive Benefits of Ketosis<\/h2>\n
The Keto Diet for Treatment for Major Disease States<\/span><\/h3>\n
The Keto Diet for Cognitive Function<\/span><\/h3>\n
The Keto Diet for Physical Performance<\/span><\/h3>\n
The Keto Diet for Fat Loss<\/span><\/h3>\n
How to Do the Keto Diet Right<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How to Make Keto Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How to Know if You\u2019re Ketogenic<\/span><\/h2>\n