If you’ve looked into dieting in the past few years, chances are you’ve heard or seen information promoting the keto diet. Though keto has been around for decades, an increased interest lately has people talking. Go to any grocery store and you may find keto products lining the shelves. Some people swear by it, dedicating their eating habits fully to a ketogenic lifestyle. Then there are some who claim that keto is a miracle diet, fixing all sorts of diseases and illnesses. But what exactly does the keto diet entail? Is it worth all the hype? Let’s take a deeper look into the world of the ketogenic diet!

What is the keto diet?

Dr Mike does a great job in the following video at introducing exactly what the keto diet is. He provides an unbiased review and at the end gives his own opinion of the effectiveness of keto.

To recap:

• The ketogenic diet consists of eating 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs.
• Ketosis refers to a state in which your body is relying on fat rather than carbohydrates for fuel. Being in ketosis can be easily interrupted by consuming foods containing sugar or drinking alcohol, so having cheat days like other diets is not really an option.
• Keto can help people lose significant amounts of weight and treat conditions like childhood epilepsy and childhood epilepsy
• Keto can lead to brain fog, flu like symptoms, hair loss, kidney issues, vitamin deficiencies

The table below shows some of the reasons why people may or may not try keto:

People interested in the keto diet must begin their journey by weighing the pros and cons. For some, treating their health condition is worth the risk.  

Dr. Mike alluded to the fact that some people claim their health conditions can be greatly improved by following the ketogenic diet. Is this true?

Here are some videos showing “miraculous” stories of people following keto and their results.

Myth 1: The Keto Diet cures mental illness

A psychiatrist from McLean, the number one ranked psychiatric hospital in the country, discusses in this video a patient who claims that the keto diet cured her of her schizophrenia.

While keto has been shown to help the symptoms of mental illnesses, there is no evidence to support that a diet can cure them completely. According to Sarnyai & Palmer (2020), a study conducted with 5 different people showed a reduction in symptoms while on the keto diet. Once they stopped eating keto, the symptoms returned full force. The video about Rita and her schizophrenia cure may not be fiction after all, but again, the symptoms surrounding the mental illness were reduced and not eliminated. Her schizophrenia was well managed with her change in lifestyle and keto could help others suffering from similar conditions find some relief with the proper education.

Myth 2: The Keto Diet can cure chronic diseases

The next video is one you may have seen on daytime television. Dr. Oz focuses an episode of his show on keto, and Montel Williams guest stars to tell his story.

Unlike the first video, Dr. Oz does present some accurate facts about keto; however Montel Williams is an isolated case. There is no evidence to support the claim that keto is a cure all for conditions like multiple sclerosis or a stroke, and Williams also does not discuss any other treatments he has tried or is currently utilizing. There is evidence however that supports the fact that keto can improve the progressive symptoms of MS and greatly improve patients’ quality of life. Barney (2022) discusses a recent study in which 65 participants were asked to start a ketogenic diet. Those that stuck to the diet for a full six months reported drastic differences in their level of fatigue, mood, and immune system. Having a healthy lifestyle can absolutely help manage health conditions, but to say that a diet will fix chronic conditions is extremely misleading.

What is the verdict?

The keto diet can be a great tool when needing to lose a significant amount of weight or treating symptoms of health conditions. However, people interested must use caution when deciding whether to make a huge lifestyle change. In the short term for people looking to maximize weight loss keto may be a great option. As with any diet it is best to consult your doctor before making drastic changes that could potentially affect your health.

References:

Barney, J. (2022, March 2). Ketogenic diet shows major benefits for multiple sclerosis. UVA Today. https://news.virginia.edu/content/ketogenic-diet-shows-major-benefits-multiple-sclerosis

Ferriss, T. (2022, November 14). The story of Doris: The ketogenic diet for treating schizophrenia: Dr. Chris Palmer, MD. YouTube. https://youtu.be/CSGXYg9_fZ4

Oz, D. (2019, January 7). The benefits of the Keto Diet and how it helped Montel Williams. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qZztBWPIQJo

Sarnyai, Z., & Palmer, C. M. (2020). Ketogenic Therapy in Serious Mental Illness: Emerging Evidence. The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 23(7), 434–439. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyaa036

Varshavski, M. (2018, June 17). Doctor Mike on diets: Ketogenic diet: Diet review. YouTube. https://youtu.be/AsLGoU7eQsM