Health Sci J Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body uses ketones as an alternative fuel source to glucose. When dietary carbohydrate intake is limited, the body turns to ketones, produced initially by brief breakdown of muscles tissue and then by lipolysis of adipose tissue. Fasting is also a means of inducing a state of ketosis. The ketogenic diet, a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, severely restricts carbohydrate intake and has been used to treat various health conditions, such as epilepsy, for over a century. Although the ketogenic diet is controversial, due to its strict dietary protocols, laboratory and clinical research suggest that there are many therapeutic benefits to be reaped through its implementation. Children with epilepsy have had their seizures reduced or completely controlled from maintaining a state of ketosis. Ketosis is also shown to help reduce tumor size in certain cancers. Additionally, certain types of athletic performance have been shown to be enhanced through a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and body composition has dramatically improved in clinical research of subjects on a ketogenic diet with an almost universal reduction in body fat. The full scope of ketogenic therapy is yet to be realized.
J Lipid Res. There are also direct diet-related effects on overall endogenous cholesterol synthesis. He tested it on 12 children and adolescents with intractable seizures. By , the diet had also been studied in teenagers and adults. Frequent urination, one of the markers or ketosis, can cause dehydration and should be remedied with increased water and electrolyte intake. The values are expressed as the mean of three-four independent samples with error bars representing SEM. Since any unplanned eating can potentially break the nutritional balance required, some people find the discipline needed to maintain the diet challenging and unpleasant. N Engl J Med. Lower levels of insulin, the result of fasting or reduced carbohydrate intake, lead to increased free fatty acids and their increased uptake into mitochondria, and ultimately, increased production of ketones. Disproven hypotheses include systemic acidosis high levels of acid in the blood, electrolyte changes and hypoglycaemia low blood glucose. Implementing a ketogenic diet based on medium-chain triglyceride oil in pediatric patients with cancer.
Rev Ther Med-Chirurg. Those remaining on the diet after this duration were typically not seizure-free, but had had an excellent response. However, no anticonvulsant has ever achieved this in a clinical trial in humans. Due to the occasional need for medication in these young patients, pharmacists are also able to recommend ketogenic-friendly options, with chewables and tablets typically having less carbohydrates than liquid forms of the same medications [ 38 ]. N Engl J Med. From the s onwards they have become widely known as one of the most common methods for obesity treatment.