Ketogenic diets have been used since 1924 in pediatrics as a treatment for epilepsy. A ketogenic (keto) diet is one that is high in fat and low in carbohydrates. The design of the ketogenic diet is to shift the body’s metabolic fuel from burning carbohydrates to fat. With the keto diet, the body breaks down fat, rather than sugar, for energy. Ketones are a byproduct of that process.
Ketogenic diets have been used to treat diabetes over the years. One rationale was that it treats diabetes at its source by reducing carbohydrate intake, which leads to a decrease in blood sugar, which in turn reduces the need for insulin, thereby minimizing insulin resistance and associated metabolic syndrome. In this way, a ketogenic diet can improve blood glucose (sugar) levels while reducing the need for insulin. This view presents ketogenic diets as a much safer and more effective plan than injecting insulin to counteract the consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods.
A ketogenic diet is actually a very restrictive diet. On the classic ketogenic diet, for example, you get about 80 percent of your caloric requirements from fat and 20 percent from protein and carbohydrates. This is a marked deviation from the norm where the body runs on sugar energy derived from carbohydrate digestion, but by severely limiting carbohydrates the body is forced to use fat instead.
A ketogenic diet requires a healthy intake of foods made from beneficial fats, such as coconut oil, grass-fed butter, organic free-range eggs, avocado, fish such as salmon, cottage cheese, avocado, almond butter, and raw nuts (raw walnuts and macadamia nuts) ). People on ketogenic diets avoid all bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, flour, starchy vegetables, and dairy. The diet is low in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients and requires supplementation.
The low-carbohydrate diet is often recommended for people with type 2 diabetes because carbohydrates turn into blood sugar, which, in large amounts, causes blood sugar to rise. Therefore, for a diabetic who already has high blood sugar, eating additional sugar-producing foods is like courting danger. By shifting the focus from sugar to fat, some patients may experience a drop in blood sugar.
The shift of the body’s primary energy source from carbohydrates to fats leaves behind the by-product of fat metabolism, ketones in the blood. For some diabetic patients, this can be dangerous as the accumulation of ketones can create a risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). CAD is a medical emergency that requires the immediate attention of a physician. Signs of CAD include high blood sugar levels, dry mouth, polyuria, nausea, fruity breath odor, and shortness of breath. Complications can lead to a diabetic coma.
