Safety of popular diet questioned for heart patients

Study Findings May Shock People

New research finds that the keto diet may increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and irritable bowel disease.

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British scientists monitored the health of 53 people who followed one of three diets for 4-12 weeks: a low-carb ketogenic diet, a low-sugar diet, and a moderate sugar and carbohydrate diet.

After analyzing the results, the scientists found that the keto diet increased cholesterol levels, as well as reduced the amount of good bacteria in the gut and reduced the body's ability to process sugar.

At the same time, the researchers found that the low-sugar and keto diets led to fat loss without affecting people's physical activity levels.

“The ketogenic diet is effective for weight loss, but it has different metabolic and microbiological effects that may not be suitable for everyone,” explains exercise physiologist Dylan Thompson. ”In contrast, limiting sugar intake reinforces government recommendations to reduce pure sugar intake by promoting fat burning without the obvious negative health consequences.”

The low-sugar diet included less than 5 percent of the energy intake from free sugars, which are added to food and drinks or found in juices, syrups, and honey. The results of this diet were compared with the results of respondents consuming a moderate amount of sugar and carbohydrates, where free sugar accounted for about 18 percent of the energy intake.

By the end of the fourth week, the keto diet began to destroy the diversity of the participants' gut microbiota: the number of bifidobacteria decreased. The fact is that these bacteria feed on dietary fiber, which was reduced by 40 percent in the keto diet. By the twelfth week, the scientists noticed that the keto diet had begun to cause internal chaos in the body.

The keto diet's effect on cholesterol levels left the researchers concerned, while the low-sugar dieters had lower total cholesterol levels by week 12 of the study.

«Despite the reduction in fat mass, the ketogenic diet increased levels of harmful fats in the blood of our participants,» says nutritionist Aaron Hengest. — If this continues for many years, it could have long-term health consequences, such as an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.»

The researchers explain that while the keto diet lowered fasting glucose levels, it also reduced the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates.

«By measuring the protein content of muscle samples taken from the participants' legs, we think this is likely an adaptive response to eating fewer carbohydrates daily and reflects insulin resistance, preventing carbohydrate storage in muscle,» concludes physiologist Javier Gonzalez.