The intermediate goal that you want to achieve with the
ketogenic diet is to activate a greater production of ketone bodies which are
the result of the synthesis of energy starting from non-carbohydrate substrates
such as amino acids, only some, or fats. However, it is a diet that can by
definition fall within the so-called "low carb" diets as it is not
possible to increase the release of ketones beyond the physiological norm, if
medium or high amounts of carbohydrates are taken.
Ketogenic diet: what are ketone bodies
To fully understand the effects of the ketogenic diet, it is
certainly necessary to investigate ketone bodies, also called ketones. In the
past it was thought that these compounds were produced by the body only in
response to an excessively accelerated metabolism or to diseases such as
diabetes or, again, due to a diet particularly high in fat. Today we know that
ketone bodies are normally and daily produced, albeit in minimal quantities,
due to fasting, fat intake or dysfunction in carbohydrate metabolism such as
diabetes.In some cases, as happens in the ketogenic diet, their synthesis is
significantly increased as our brain, which feeds mainly on sugars, must
necessarily find alternative sources of fuel, represented by ketone bodies.,
Where sugars are lacking.
But what are ketone bodies? These are metabolic by-products
derived from fats even if their chemical structure and their characteristics
make them look more like sugars than lipid molecules. It must be said, and we
will resume this later, that some amino acids can also determine the release of
ketone bodies, see for example tryptophan, tyrosine, leucine and phenylalanine,
but there are also others. At a physiological level, the synthesis of ketones,
much faster than that of fatty acids, occurs starting from acetyl coenzyme
Awhich, after several other enzymatic reactions by "B-ketothiolase"
and "hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A synthase" is finally
translated into three different ketone bodies. Without going too deeply into
the metabolic enzymatic reactions that would be difficult for most people to
understand, we will say that at the end of these reactions we will have ketone
products such as vinegar acetate, acetone (completely expelled from the body
with sweat and breathing and therefore not used) and 3-beta hydroxy-butyrate.
Let us now see what happens when the above two ketone bodies
are sent to the peripheral userswhich can be the muscles, the brain or even the
heart. Let's start with the vinegar acetate which, if it were sent to a
mitochondrion (organelle that is responsible for producing energy), would be
subjected to the action of the succinyl-CoA enzyme and subsequently subjected
to further enzymatic actions as long as they were to produce two molecules of acetyl-CoA
which in the Krebs cycle are used to produce energy. If, on the other hand, it
is the other ketone body (3-B hydroxy buirrate) that is sent to the
mitochondrion, it will be transformed into vinegar acetate with the release of
a NADH molecule that corresponds to 2.5 Atp, the chemical fuel par excellence.
We have tried to explain, in a rather simplistic way, what are the metabolic
pathways of ketone bodies, but what we are most interested in knowing is that
these compounds can, and will be, used as an alternative energy source to
carbohydrates if the latter are deficient.
How to set up an effective ketogenic diet?
With the term "ketogenic diet" it is not possible
to indicate a specific type of diet, in fact all those diets that provide low,
if not minimal, quantities of calories and carbohydrates with medium-low
quantities of proteins and high of fats are to be considered ketogenic.
Already from this first generic observation it can be easily
deduced that a ketogenic diet cannot be followed for prolonged periods, as it
would lead to considerable dysfunctions as well as to the concrete decrease in
the energy stocks available and finally, but not least, to a decrease, albeit
temporary, of the cognitive faculties, as we shall see better later. So let's
make an overview of the guidelines for a ketogenic diet without prejudice to
the need, where you want to start with this type of diet, of the preventive
opinion of the professional dietician, since these are diets that we can
consider "extreme" and potentially dangerous.But before we pan we
must remember that, to understand if the diet is working and therefore if your
body is producing greater quantities of ketone bodies, it is necessary to
measure this possible high presence, for example, through a urine PH test. That
said, let's see what guidelines to follow to implement a practical example of a
ketogenic diet:
• reduction,
almost to zero, of simple and complex carbohydrates, leaving in the diet only
small quantities of vegetables that contain minimal doses of fructose;
• increase
both absolute and percentage of lipid nutrients and therefore intake of foods
rich in fats such as oil seeds and other types of fruits such as avocado, then
fats from coconut butter, walnuts, hazelnuts and egg yolk, are also indicated also
cheeses such as parmesan, grana or pecorino;
• increase,
only percentage, of proteins, therefore meat, fish and other foods known to be
rich in proteins.
On the latter aspect, there are those who argue that the
introduction of excessively protein foods can partially frustrate the release
of ketone bodies, this is because proteins contain amino acids and some amino
acids, called glucogenetics, can be converted into glucose. However, it should
be considered that it is necessary, in this type of diet, to find a compromise
as a diet completely devoid of carbohydrates and proteins is practically not
possible to endure for a matter of appetite, and it is unthinkable, in order
not to ruin one's health, take all the calories in your diet from fat only.
In principle, we can thus assign the different percentages
to nutrients according to the calories to be introduced, to size a valid
ketogenic diet: 10% from non-complex carbohydrates, 15-20% from proteins and
75-80% from fats. We will not make real examples indicating specific foods,
their quantity and time of intake, as this task is undoubtedly to be entrusted
to a specialized dietician who will have to constantly monitor the conditions
of the client since these diets, as already mentioned above, may have different
side effects.
Benefits and contraindications of the ketogenic diet
Speaking of benefits in terms of weight loss and body health, with the ketogenic diet you will certainly quickly affect your fat
reserves and at the same time you can benefit from effects that we can consider
positive in the clinical and health field , let's see them:
• reduction
of non-responsive epileptic syndromes to drugs;
• treatment
of severe obesity associated with specific metabolic pathologies;
• decrease
of total cholesterol and therefore improvement of the lipid profile;
• optimization
of blood pressure and average blood glucose values.
It must be said, however, that there is no lack of possible
unwanted effects , and indeed, there are those who argue that the latter are
far superior to the benefits, let's see what we are talking about:
• sensitive
changes in mood and generalized feeling of tiredness very similar to what one
experiences when having a fever;
• decrease
in PH in the blood, an aspect that can result, if prolonged for too long, in a
condition of acidosis which involves, among other things, the sudden loss of
important essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium, essential for
health bones and more;
• increased
hepatic and renal work even in completely healthy subjects, if there are
pathologies, perhaps not yet diagnosed, the repercussions can be much more
severe than a simple fatigue of said systems;
• dehydration,
a condition in which the water levels in the body are excessively low and can
cause an increase in temperature, increased blood viscosity, blurred vision and
loss of consciousness in the most severe cases;
• hypovitaminosis
and mineral salt deficiency.
As you can see, even to an inexperienced eye, it seems that
the side effects of a ketogenic diet are much greater than the benefits, which
is why it is always important to follow this type of diet under strict medical
supervision, especially as regards its duration which, obviously, it won't be
long.
What supplements to combine with the ketogenic diet?
If you decide, we repeat, always in consultation with the
dietician or nutritionist, to start a ketogenic diet, you can also consier the
use of specific supplements that can promote, in one way or another, weight loss. It should also be note that, since this diet will also undermine your
ready-to-use energy reserves, the use of supplements that help energy is
certainly desirable, even if, obviously, they cannot be made up of
carbohydrates which, as on widely explained, they would dramatically decrease
the release of ketone bodies to bring it back to physiological normality. So we
candistinguish three types of supplements of desirable use, therefore ergogenic
support, slimming aids and specific adjuvants, let's see them in detail:
• creatine
, carnitine and coenzyme q10, these are three compounds that will work on the
release of energy even from fat, to make up for that GAP determined by the
copious decrease in carbohydrates in the diet which, however, is already
partially recovered by the greater speed of transformation of the bodies
ketones in energy with respect to other molecules, whether they are lipid or
carbohydrate;
• thermogenic
, inhibitory and lipolytic, then capsaicin, synephrine and caffeine , three
plant extracts that respectively increase the release of body heat, decrease
the sense of appetite and promote the degradation of triglycerides to fatty
acids and glycerol;
• finally
the adjuvants, a category which includes both those amino acids that can
support the release of ketone bodies, such as tyrosine, phenylalanine,
tryptophan and others, and both the minerals that are quickly eliminated due to
ketosis.
Finally, another interesting integration route should also
be noted, we are talking about leucine, another amino acid which, in addition
to supporting the manifestation of ketosis, is able to support the maintenance
of lean mass by decreasing the catabolism that this type of diet can easily
trigger, not only for issues related to energy deficiency but also for the
reduced protein intake compared to a normal diet for the maintenance or
increase of mass.
Sports activity and ketogenic diet
Another interesting and useful aspect to consider if you are
thinking of starting a ketogenic diet is the type of sporting activity that is
practiced, although these diets are also used by sedentary subjects. As far as
athletes are concerned, it should be remembered that this type of diet is not
suitable for those who practice endurance and duration physical activities, in
fact in these cases the presence of carbohydrates, and therefore of adequate
glycogen stores, is essential to maintain a good level. performance. For what
concerns body builders, even here, although it is possible to train, it would
be optimal to decrease the intensity of the workout in order not to cause
excessive tissue damage which, without adequate amounts of protein, could not
be "repaired"
It should also be remembered that, again in relation to body
building, it will not be possible, as already mentioned, to increase the
proteins too much as even the amino acids (some) can be transformed into
glucose with a net decrease in the release of ketone bodies and nullification
of the diet. that you follow. However, it is not easy, in this type of diet, to
determine how to train, since both intense and moderate exercises have positive
and negative effects.
In the first case, that is, with the high intensity, there
will be a greater demand for glucose favoring the release of ketone bodies
which is the main objective of the ketogenic diet. In the second instead, that
is moderate intensity, there will be a better energy use of ketones, thus
avoiding an excessive accumulation in the body which, as we have said, can also
cause heavy unwanted effects.