Issues with the Ketogenic Diet

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Boost Ketones Without a Risky Diet

• Ketones are compounds produced by the liver during times of fasting or extremely low carbohydrate intake.
• Ketones are used as an alternative fuel by the brain and muscles. They also activate pathways linked to lifespan and health-span extension.
• The ketogenic diet stimulates ketone production but requires extremely high fat intake that has harmful health consequences.
• Safer alternatives directly supply ketones that can be absorbed and used by the body. Beta-hydroxybutyrate regulates energy expenditure and helps modulate metabolism. Mangiferin and a resistant starch also boost the body’s ability to make its own ketones.
• It is now possible to obtain the benefits of ketones without the difficulties and downsides associated with prolonged fasting or the ketogenic diet.

Issue: Oct 2019

Healthy Way to Benefit from Ketones

The low carb/high fat ketogenic diet has become a popular way to lose weight. But ingesting bad fats increases cardiovascular risks. Scientists have identified a healthy method to increase ketones without the difficulties of a ketogenic diet.

Issues with the Ketogenic Diet

One way to raise ketone levels is by forcing the body to create more of them. That’s the goal of the popular ketogenic diet. Severely restricting carbohydrate intake and replacing those calories with a large amount of fat makes the liver pump out ketones.

But there are several downsides to this strategy:

• Eliminating carbs means dramatically reducing intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are a source of dietary fiber, which is critical for digestive health. Insufficient fiber has been linked to gastrointestinal disorders and colorectal cancer.17,18
• Very low carbohydrate intake has been linked to premature mortality.11
• A high-fat diet can cause elevated triglycerides, other lipid abnormalities, and detrimental metabolic changes, all risk factors for cardiovascular disease.10,19
• In people on a ketogenic diet, the risk of atherosclerotic plaque development in arteries, which often leads to cardiovascular disease, may be increased.9
• High-fat, low-carb diets can negate or even reverse the brain benefits of ketones, leading to deterioration in attention, processing speed, and mood.10

In other words, the potential problems of the ketogenic diet may outweigh the benefits. It is not recommended for people unless they have a specific medical condition for which it is indicated.

Raise Ketones the Healthy Way

Scientists recently set out to create a healthier way to raise ketone levels without the risks of the ketogenic diet or prolonged fasting.

They accomplished this by combining the ketone beta-hydroxybutyrate with two other nutrients that aid in the body’s ketone production.

When ingested orally, beta-hydroxybutyrate is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, providing the same benefits as ketones produced by the liver. Beta-hydroxybutyrate can increase blood levels to the range typically induced by a ketogenic diet.20

Mangiferin is a compound found in plants, especially mangos—hence the name. It has been shown to help spur the production of more ketones by the body.

In one randomized trial, researchers demonstrated that 150 mg of mangiferin per day significantly increased blood levels of ketones, presumably by stimulating the liver to boost production of them.21

In response to mangiferin supplementation, beta-hydroxybutyrate increased by about 18% and acetoacetate levels increased by approximately 10%.

A resistant starch, like cassava, is a complex carbohydrate that is not efficiently broken down by our digestive enzymes.22

Benefits of “Resistant Starch”

Other forms of starch are broken down into simpler carbohydrates, which raise blood sugar levels after a meal, triggering insulin secretion.

Because they are not digested rapidly by humans, resistant starches do not raise blood glucose or cause an insulin response.

Besides being a source of fiber, resistant starches have several other beneficial effects. They help support healthy gut bacterial growth, promote a feeling of fullness, increase insulin sensitivity, and preserve lean body mass.23

Resistant starches also enhance the body’s production of butyrate, which is used to make more ketones, and to stimulate many of the same longevity-promoting pathways as ketones.5,24,25

https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2019/10/healthy-way-to-benefit-from-ketones