The ketogenic diet has started to gain a lot of popularity over the past couple of years. This diet requires participants to follow a high-fat, high-protein, and very low-carb eating regimen that puts them into a state known as ketosis, which allows the body to efficiently burn fat. Ketosis works by depleting your body of any and all sugars so it’s forced to burn fats and protein.
Low carbohydrate diets (i.e., keto, Atkins, and Paleo) have been very controversial for a long time. However, there are a lot of benefits to these types of diets, including:
1. Reduces acne
There are a lot of different factors that can lead to acne. One thing that is thought to be a factor is blood sugar levels. Since the keto diet helps to lower these levels it may also help with acne. You also will be avoiding processed carbs, which can wreak havoc on your skin.
2. May improve heart health
Eating a low carb diet can improve your heart health in a few different ways. It can help to lower blood pressure and hypertension. This diet also helps to increase your levels of good HDL and lower the levels of bad.
3. Promotes weight loss
The most common reason that people start the keto diet is to lose weight. This is because it takes more work to turn fat into energy than it does for carbs. Since carbs are scarce in this diet, your body will have to burn the fat which results in more weight loss. The thing that a lot of people like is that the majority of this weight loss is going to happen in the stomach area.
4. Could boost brain function
Before it was used for weight loss, many people followed a low carb diet to help treat brain issues like epilepsy. Some studies suggest that it can also help treat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. One study even showed that it increased attention span and alertness in children.
5. Helps with PCOS
PCOS is an endocrine disorder that can be very painful for women who are experiencing it. There still isn’t a ton of evidence to support the claim that a keto diet will help women with PCOS. However, one study was able to conclude that it aided in hormone balance, improved LH and FSH ratios, and improved fasting insulin. It also showed that it increased weight loss, which is very hard to do if you are suffering from PCOS.
