A team of researchers looked at beta-hydroxybutyrate, which is the main nutrient produced by our body in response to a ketogenic diet.
Currently very popular, the ketogenic diet is also controversial. In an attempt to see more clearly, a team of researchers from Inserm looked at beta-hydroxybutyrate, which is the main nutrient produced by our body in response to a diet of this type.
The ketogenic diet consists of eliminating almost all carbohydrates from your diet, especially starchy foods, in favor of fatty foods and proteins. As when we practice fasting, the cells that normally feed on glucose can no longer meet their needs and then begin to use an additional pathway to produce energy, through the breakdown of fatty acids. This pathway then produces derivatives of fatty acids called “ketone bodies”, and mainly beta-hydroxybutyrate, adorned so far with supposed anti-inflammatory properties.
The observed effect is slightly pro-inflammatory
However, according to study director Luciano Pirola and his team, this substance has no anti-inflammatory activity. On the contrary, the observed effect is slightly pro-inflammatory. “This work is a starting point: we must go further because we expect an increase in the use of the ketogenic diet in the years to come”, indicates the scientist.
“This diet is already indicated in specific situations, for example for people with epilepsy in whom it reduces the frequency of seizures without the mechanism involved being fully understood. It is also beginning to be suggested in d ‘other illnesses like cancer or even diabetes,” she continues.
Significant side effects
Not long ago, the ketocene diet was rated as one of the worst diets to follow in the world. US News & World Report, experts saying they are concerned about the nutritional imbalances caused by this diet and the fact that it is “extreme and difficult to follow”.
The ketogenic diet also has significant side effects, such as worsening cardiovascular health problems, increased liver weight, headaches, nausea, fatigue, constipation, and kidney stones. Before adopting it, it is therefore essential to talk to your doctor about it.
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