Diet Losing weight with a ketogenic diet - is that the healthier low-carb variety?

Nutrition expert explains the benefits of a ketogenic diet

There is a lot of information, sometimes contradictory, about what makes a healthy diet. The low-carb diet, which has been much praised in recent years, is now under suspicion of shortening the general lifespan through a study. Anatomy and physiology professor David Harper is convinced that the current high carbohydrate diet is the main cause of common diseases such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. He recommends a ketogenic diet as a healthier low-carb alternative.

The Canadian nutrition expert and cancer researcher Professor dr. David Harper and his family have been feeding on a ketogenic diet for six years. As a member of the scientific advisory board of the Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition in Canada, he attends global nutrition seminars and is currently writing a book on the ketogenic diet. He is not surprised that there is so much confusion about the right diet and wants to show a clear line for a healthy diet that will keep you slim and healthy in the long term.

A ketogenic diet is almost entirely carbohydrate-free. As a result, so-called keto bodies are produced in the body, which according to the nutritionist Dr. med. David Harper brings many health-promoting effects. (Image: vaaseenaa / fotolia.com)

Great confusion about the right diet

"Over the past decade, nutritional science has provided robust evidence that high carbohydrate diets contribute to obesity and chronic disease," says the nutrition expert in the Canadian newspaper Vancouver Sun. However, the low-carb diet was also recently classified as unhealthy by a study in the journal "The Lancet Public Health" because low-carbohydrate diets can lower overall life expectancy.

Dietary guidelines encourage overconsumption of carbohydrates

The prevailing nutritional guidelines in Canada are similar to those in Germany. Here comes 40 to 65 percent of the energy from carbohydrates. According to the nutritionist, these recommendations, which have been common for years, are responsible for the fact that rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are exploding. Overconsumption of carbohydrates is the main reason for the rapid increase in common diseases.

Human physiology

The nutritionist explains in human physiology why high carbohydrate consumption is associated with disease-causing mechanisms. According to Harper, regular consumption of carbohydrates leads to chronically high glucose levels in the blood. The body responds with a constant insulin production. Over time, insulin resistance would then increase in many people, which can ultimately lead to diabetes.

Insulin promotes fat storage

As Professor Harper reports, insulin has another negative effect. It sends a strong signal to the body to store fat. Out of this signal, obesity and elevated blood glucose levels are rapidly developing, which in turn is the basis for many illnesses such as many heart diseases.

How can a ketogenic diet prevent it??

A ketogenic diet reduces carbohydrate consumption to less than five percent of total calories. The main fuel in this diet is not carbohydrates but fats and proteins. "Our glucose levels return to normal, we become less insulin resistant, we lose fat and reduce our risk of developing a chronic disease," says Harper. In addition, so-called keto bodies are produced by this nutritional form. According to the nutrition expert, these contribute to the protection of the brain and the nervous system and reduce systemic inflammation, which can trigger cardiovascular diseases. As a cancer researcher, Harper also knows that these keto bodies are currently being tested in scientific research for their suitability to fight cancer.

Ketogenic diet is not the same as low carb diets

In light of the recent study, the nutrition expert comments: The participants in the Lancet study were low carb and not ketogenic, Harper said. 30 to 40 percent of the total calories were still derived from carbohydrates. The participants would never have reached the state of ketosis, in which only the keto bodies are produced.

The ketogenic diet has been the standard for millennia

In conclusion, Harper points out that the current standard diet is still very young, measured by human existence. Humanity fed itself ketogen for millennia. Thus, this diet is not a fad, but a return to the roots.

Not for everyone

Anyone planning a diet change should be well informed about the possible consequences. On the one hand, the ketogenic diet is not a fast diet, but a nutritional concept that requires you to forego many foods over the long term and, secondly, the consequences of such a diet are not yet sufficiently researched. (Vb)