Insulin Resistance. Can The Keto Diet Reverse It?
The Keto Diet: How It Can Reverse Insulin Resistance. If you’re insulin resistant, your body is unable to use the sugar in your blood as fuel. Instead, that sugar gets stored in your fat cells and other tissues. As a result, you gain weight, especially around your belly. Reducing your carbohydrate intake can help reverse insulin resistance. After all, excess carbs are broken down into sugars for storage. The more carbs you eat, the more sugars your body produces and stores. A ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates – meaning there’s very little sugar available for storage by the body. This metabolic state of affairs forces the body to break down fat instead of storing it, leading to weight loss and reversal of pre-diabetic conditions. In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the Keto Diet so that you can begin losing weight and reversing pre-diabetic conditions safely and effectively.
What Is a Keto Diet?
A ketogenic diet is very high in fat and low in carbohydrates. This diet induces the liver to produce “ketones” – compounds that are used as energy by the body when insulin levels are low. In a ketogenic diet, you consume about 5% carbohydrates, 15% protein, and 80% fat. The goal is to put your body into a state of ketosis, when the body breaks down fat to produce energy. To do this, you must follow a strict diet, avoid all starchy foods, grains, potatoes, and sugar, and eat lots of eggs, meat, fish and other fatty foods. The key to a ketogenic diet is to reduce carbohydrate intake so that your body switches from burning sugar to burning fat. This metabolic state of affairs is referred to as “nutritional ketosis,” and it’s this state that helps reverse insulin resistance and pre-diabetic conditions.
How Does a Keto Diet Help With Insulin Resistance?
One of the biggest health benefits of ketogenic diets is that they can help reverse insulin resistance. This happens when you reduce your carbohydrate intake and induce ketosis. The more carbs you eat, the more sugars your body produces and stores. Reducing your carbohydrate intake can help reverse insulin resistance. After all, excess carbs are broken down into sugars for storage. The goal of a ketogenic diet is to reduce carbohydrate intake so that your body switches from burning sugar to burning fat. This metabolic state of affairs is referred to as “nutritional ketosis,” and it’s this state that helps reverse insulin resistance and pre-diabetic conditions.
Keto and Weight Loss: How It Helps With Insulin Resistance
Eating more fat and less carbohydrates forces your body to break down fat to create energy. This natural process is called “ketosis,” and it’s the key to successful weight loss on a ketogenic diet. In ketosis, the body breaks down fat and converts it into molecules called “ketones.” These are used as energy in place of glucose, which is normally converted into energy. Ketones are broken down in the liver and are used to fuel the brain, heart, and muscles. They provide energy that’s longer-lasting than that provided by glucose, so you don’t get tired so quickly. To enter ketosis, you need to consume about 80% of your calories from fat, 15% from protein, and 5% from carbohydrates.
Keto and Reverse Insulin Resistance: The Science Behind It
The benefits of a ketogenic diet to reverse insulin resistance can be explained by the “glucose theory of degeneration.” This theory assumes that when there is high glucose in the blood, it will be diverted to be used as fuel by the tissues, resulting in “waste products” including free radicals and oxidative stress. This, in turn, damages the tissues, including the brain, liver, heart, and kidneys. When the tissues become insulin resistant and can’t process glucose properly, the glucose stays in the blood, where it damages tissues. A ketogenic diet for reversing insulin resistance lowers glucose levels in the blood, which protects tissues against oxidative stress, damage, and inflammation. The diet also increases levels of “clean” energy in the blood.
The Downsides of Going Keto
There are some downsides to going keto, including an increased risk of kidney stones, and difficulty getting enough calcium, vitamin D, and fiber. Kidney stones: When you’re in ketosis, your kidneys excrete more calcium because they’re trying to balance out your system with all the fat you’re consuming. Excessive calcium in the system can result in kidney stones, so it’s crucial to drink lots of water and eat calcium-rich foods like broccoli, almonds, and dairy products. Vitamin D deficiency: Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium, so you may be at risk of deficiency on a ketogenic diet. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to brittle bones and osteoporosis, so make sure you’re taking a daily multivitamin with vitamin D to stay healthy. Fiber deficiency: This can lead to digestive issues, so you also want to make sure you’re getting enough fiber from foods like avocado, chia seeds, and Brussel sprouts.
Bottom Line
If you’re pre-diabetic or diabetic, then a ketogenic diet can help you reverse your condition and improve your health. A ketogenic diet is very high in fat and low in carbohydrates. This diet induces the liver to produce “ketones” – compounds that are used as energy by the body when insulin levels are low. Eating more fat and less carbohydrates forces your body to break down fat to create energy. In ketosis, the body breaks down fat and converts it into molecules called “ketones”. These are used as energy in place of glucose, which is normally converted into energy. Ketones are broken down in the liver and are used to fuel the brain, heart, and muscles. They provide energy that’s longer-lasting than that provided by glucose, so you don’t get tired so quickly. The benefits of a ketogenic diet to reverse insulin resistance can be explained by the “glucose theory of degeneration.” This theory assumes that when there is high glucose in the blood, it will be diverted to be used as fuel by the tissues, resulting in “waste products” including free radicals and oxidative stress. This, in turn, damages the tissues, including the brain, liver, heart, and kidneys.
Check out our article on How to do Intermittent Fasting on Keto
Resources > Insulin Resistance”>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance
