Health Risks of Keto Diets

Few things in medicine and science are more controversial than diets. New fads with spectacular health claims are continually being disseminated via social media, news articles, and even scientific publications. It’s no wonder that people, including doctors, get confused by what’s what in the nutritional world.

Many fad diets come and go, but one that’s stood the test of time in terms of popularity is the ketogenic diet (very low-carbohydrate diet). This diet is primarily aimed at people who are overweight, have diabetes, heart disease, or even cancer.

So, why is this diet so popular and is there any scientific evidence to support its recommendation? Well, this is where it can get confusing very quickly. Scientific literature has almost endless conflicting reports showing that the keto diet is associated with either health benefits or health risks.

Why is this the case and how can such conflicting information be interpreted? The reasons are multifaceted and there is no single answer, but let’s dig in anyway.

1. Nutritional studies are observational studies, and only associations can be determined. Causality cannot be deduced from such studies.

2. Short-term and long-term results can and often do yield very different findings. Deleterious or beneficial health effects of diets may take months, years or even decades to manifest.

3. The selection criteria for participants can dramatically affect the results, e.g., healthy or sick participants.

4. Patient adherence to diets and the accuracy of food diaries may be unreliable.

5. Observations and associations are subject to analytical errors and/or bias.

6. Journal authors, editors, and reviewers are also subject to bias. They may also have failed to notice or understand caveats in the results or their interpretation.

7. Sometimes, research has conflicts of interest. For example, companies funding academic institutions and their research, which is common in nutritional and medical industries. Academic researchers may therefore be under pressure to find certain associations.

So, what is OneLife’s take on this topic? Cross-referencing and scrutiny of scientific publications shows that the keto diet is effective as a short-term weight loss plan. However, it has not proven to be effective in the long term. More importantly, it is fundamentally not a healthy diet, and it is certainly not one that we recommend at OneLife Nutrition and Health. Studies have shown that low carbohydrate intake leads to nutritional deficiencies, because carbohydrate-containing foods are often good sources of essential minerals, vitamins, fibre, and phytochemicals. Just think of whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, oats, oranges, and many other fruits and vegetables. They are known to contain lots of healthy nutrients in addition to carbohydrates.

Keto-diet followers are likely to consume excess fat and protein, which can lead to undesirable health effects such as dysbiosis, metabolic imbalance, and strain on the liver and kidneys. Furthermore, the types of protein and fat consumed, and their preparation methods, can dramatically affect cholesterol levels, as well as increase cardiovascular disease and cancer risk. Proteins and fats can facilitate weight loss by increasing satiety; however, high-fibre carbohydrates can also regulate hunger via gut hormone and microbiota regulation.

When it comes to nutrition and health, a balanced approach that incorporates a wide variety of foods is best – if those food sources are wholesome and unrefined. Carbohydrates obtained from fruits and whole grains are not the same as those from fast foods and carbonated beverages.

In summary, we do not recommend the keto diet, and instead recommend the Mediterranean diet. For the most optimally balanced diet, we highly recommend that you consider the OneLife Diet Meal Plan (ebook), which has been carefully designed using food databases in conjunction with the latest scientific and medical knowledge. The OneLife diet is like the Mediterranean diet but incorporates extra high-quality protein for greater satiety and muscle retention during weight loss. It is also more suitable for sports people and athletes. Not only does the OneLife Diet include full nutritional information and recipes, but it also provides detailed sections with medical and nutritional advice for people planning to lose weight as well as those with medical conditions.

References

OneLife Diet Meal Plan: Total Nutritional Guide. Link

Ketogenic diet and cardiovascular risk – state of the art review. Link

Low thiamine status in adults following low-carbohydrate / ketogenic diets: a cross-sectional comparative study of micronutrient intake and status. Link

Ketogenic Diets and Chronic Disease: Weighing the Benefits Against the Risks. Link