Can shunning carbs and loading up on fat really help you lose weight? And is this safe? Here’s the skinny on the keto diet.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
The claim: The keto diet is a good way to lose weight.
The ketogenic, or keto diet, has been around for nearly a century, used mainly to treat epilepsy. Today this low carb, high fat diet is a popular way to lose weight, thanks in part to celebrities who swear by it. But what they often don’t tell you is the diet has some major drawbacks, which need to be weighed against any benefits.
Glucose from carbohydrates is normally our body’s main source of energy.
The idea behind the keto diet is to deprive the body of glucose so that it instead uses stored fat as energy by converting it into compounds called ketones.
For this to happen, your intake of carbs has to be extremely low.
So the diet bans foods such as grains… beans … sweets…most fruits… and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn.
Instead you’re supposed to eat lots of fat, which means loading up on things like steak, cheese, and butter, along with nuts and oils.
Studies show that the keto diet does lead to weight loss, and may be more effective than low-fat diets, at least in the short term. It may also help control blood sugar and blood pressure.
But there’s a catch: the diet can make you feel lousy for the first few days or weeks, with side effects that include fatigue, constipation, headaches, irritability, and confusion. Also the lack of foods like whole grains and fruits may lead to nutrient deficiencies.
What’s more, the high levels of saturated fat can raise LDL, the bad cholesterol linked to heart disease.
But the diet may also improve HGL the good cholesterol, along with harmful blood fats called triglycerides. So its overall effect on heart health is unclear.
It’s also unknown how effective the diet is at keeping weight off long term. But we do know that keto, like other restrictive diets, is tough for most people to follow for very long. Your best bet is a healthy eating plan that you can stick with for the long haul. Because for successful weight control, it’s the long haul that counts.
For more on weight loss, check out my book Supersized Lies, which reveals why standard advice often fails and what actually works to keep weight off.
Helping you be a healthy skeptic, I’m Robert Davis.