The Keto diet is one of the diet plans that grabbed the attention of the people as soon as it was launched. In a very short time, it made thousands of followers and over time, almost everyone has tried keto at least once in their life. Even physicians took up keto to treat certain health issues. That raises the question if this much-hyped keto diet is medically approved or not? Let’s see what medical world has to say about it.
What is the keto diet?
Keto is a unique diet plan that tells you to have a lot of fat and very less carbs, to lose weight. It might sound weird, but it really works. The Keto diet’s foundation lies in the idea of “ketosis”, a state in which our body starts burning stored fats to produce energy instead of carbs. This helps in potential weight loss.
Is the keto diet medically approved?
YES, it is medically approved. The Keto diet has been studied at large for medical purposes and is still being researched to find more of its potential in treating diseases. The very first role of keto was studied against its possible effect on the symptoms of epilepsy. Later on, its promising role in weight loss grabbed attention. Nutritionists studied how the keto diet is effective for weight loss and ketones were discovered to be the main reason.
While studying its potential for weight loss, its other medical benefits were also discovered which made it a part of many treatments. Doctors have been recommending the keto diet to their diabetic patients to reverse diabetes. Other than that, people following the keto diet have shown a significant reduction in hypertension and inflammation, improvement in mood, relief in chronic pain, improved cognitive abilities, and better athletic performance. Based on this evidence, the keto diet has been medically approved to be recommended to the patients for certain treatments.
However, physicians and nutritionists do not recommend the keto diet for a very long time as it can cause nutrient deficiencies if followed for a very long time. They propose you follow this diet for a time being until you see significant changes in your health. Later on, it’s best to move back to a normal healthy eating routine to avoid any nutrient deficiency.
Benefits of the keto diet
Keto has been primarily followed for extreme weight loss purposes, but studies have shown its potential in other health aspects as well which makes it a good guy in the medical world.
- It helps in weight loss while maintaining the nutritional content of the body
- It improves the acne
- It reduces the risk of diabetes
- It improves the heart health and prevents heart diseases
- Enhance the brain function
- Reduces the risk of certain types of cancers
- Reduces the symptoms of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease
When does it become harmful?
Although the keto diet is medically approved, that does not make it a perfect diet plan. Even physicians do not recommend keto to everyone as they say “it’s not for everyone”. Only people who need some dietary changes to curb their diseases are recommended to follow the keto diet.
It becomes harmful when followed for more than the recommended time period. Because carbs are important for our health, cutting back on them for so long can hamper our body’s functioning. Also, restrictive eating patterns in the keto diet can cause nutrient deficiencies which can result in hair loss and other health problems.
Conclusion
Keto has been showing promising health benefits for a long time and that makes it a perfect diet treatment for certain patients. This potential makes it one of the diets that are medically approved and are followed at large. So, if you are looking for something that’ll improve your mind’s and body’s health, then keto can be the perfect candidate for it unless your physician recommends you otherwise due to any underlying health conditions.
I look up to fitness as a lifestyle and love to pen down about it. I have 2 years of experience in content writing and I am here to share my research and knowledge on health and fitness.
