I can appreciate the fact that if you have never tried the keto diet, then you might be a bit skeptical of it. It does sound a bit like some sort of witchcraft would be involved. Eat high-fat foods with very little carbs and get lean? Doesn’t sound possible, does it? But it really does work. In fact, one recent study detailed that it could possibly burn ten times more fat than other diets.
The Skinny
There was recent research published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews about scientists conducting a study on thirty adults1. These thirty people had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, which is a group of health conditions that increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It’s not the best card to draw in life, but it could always be worse.
The scientists took these thirty people and divided them into three groups of ten. The study lasted for a total of ten weeks. One group only ate a ketogenic diet, but performed no exercise. Another group ate a standard American diet and also didn’t exercise. Then the last one, the third group, ate a standard American diet and exercised for 30 minutes a day for up to five days a week.
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Right away, you should be noticing that this study was a small one. And, in addition, there was very little exercise involved in it. Plus, I wish I had the information provided on what foods were actually eaten in this “standard American diet”. Because when I think of a standard American diet, unfortunately, I think of quite a bit of fast food and other junk that is high in sugar.
The Results
In ten weeks, the group that was on the ketogenic diet had changes in their weight, body fat percentage, BMI, hemoglobin A1c (a test that measures a person’s blood sugar), and ketones (the result of your body burning fat for energy).
What was interesting was that their resting metabolic rate, which is the rate that your body burns energy when you’re resting, was more than ten times that of people who ate a standard American diet. In fact, the group that was participating in the keto diet even outperformed the group that was exercising. “All variables for the ketogenic group out-performed those of the exercise and non-exercise groups,” the researchers wrote in their study in the journal Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews.
Remember that this study was conducted on a small group of people, and those people were suffering from metabolic syndrome as well. But it does show verified results from a group of scientists that were interested in experimenting with the keto diet. Burning ten times more fat than a normal American diet does not sound like such a bad thing.
Of course, the trick is to follow the keto diet which avoids sugar, processed foods, gluten, and high carb fruits and vegetables. The lifestyle change will have you eating vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, and nuts which will turn your body into a fat burning furnace.
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
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Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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The results of studies are certainly mixed. I’ve seen many studies say that keto is better for weight loss and others that don’t find that outcome.
But, the most fascinating aspect is that they almost all say that keto is as good for weight loss. That means there’s little disadvantage in giving it a try – and plenty of advantages.