Diet, Food & Fitness

Keto Diet Side Effects

Everyone these days seems to be applauding the keto diet. However, you should be aware of the keto diet side effects before deciding if it is good for you.

A ketogenic diet is a new fat-burning diet that has gained popularity among celebrities throughout the world. This diet is beneficial for shredding your weight in fewer periods.

A keto diet replaces carbs with fat. 70 percent fats, 5% carbohydrates, and 25% protein make up a typical keto diet. Howbeit, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends 30% fats, 20-35% proteins, and 50% carbs laced diet. By comparing them, you can see that your diet has changed dramatically, which can affect your metabolism patterns

10 Major keto diet side effects

Let’s look at some of the keto diet side effects that you can face if you adopt a keto diet:

 Keto flu

This is the first issue you will face when you are on a keto diet.

When you eat carbs, your body’s enzymes break them down into glucose, which your organization uses as an energy source.

The considerable reduction in carbs causes sugar cravings, and the body uses fat as a source of energy. This converts your body into a fat-burning mode in addition to lower insulin levels leading to a drastic reduction of weight.

All of this leads the kidney to release excess sodium into your bloodstream, leading to a side effect known as keto flu. Some common side effects that keto dieters face are nausea, headaches, muscle cramps, dizziness, and low energy levels.

Kidney and heart diseases

When on ketosis, the glycogen is metabolized, which can retain water. This leads to excess urination that leads to the loss of electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium. Posing the risk of developing various kidney diseases, especially kidney stones.

Since electrolytes are also responsible for normal heartbeats, their scarcity will lead to a condition called cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heartbeats, which is a severe disease and might prove fatal.

Frequent weight fluctuations

Not everybody can follow this diet consistently, which leads to a crash diet or cheat days where people satisfy all their sugary and fast food cravings.

This sudden change in the diet leads to sudden weight gain, and then when you go back to your keto diet, there is an immediate weight reduction. Causing harm to your body, which includes mortality.

Missing out on vital nutrients 

Due to strict low carb nature, most of the essential fruits that play a crucial role in preserving a healthy body are missed out. Because these fruits contain natural sugars as well as fructose, they are automatically excluded from the keto diet.

Such fruits are rich in essential fibers, phytochemicals, specific vitamins, and minerals, Lower quantities or none for those on a diet. Posing a risk of developing certain chronic diseases and reduced bone density.

With low carb intake, fiber intake also decreases. Keto diet involves low consumption of fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables.

his leads to specific indigestion problems, such as diarrhea, constipation, etc. The intake of large amounts of fats also worsens this condition. Indigestion is a typical complaint among keto dieters.

Your Potassium intake also gets reduced, which is essential for maintaining your blood pressure and electrolyte levels.

Halt in the growth of children

Children following this diet can face negative impacts too. Since insulin is the vital hormone that helps in the growth of children, the reduced insulin levels will slow down their body growth.

Reduced athleticism

Sports demanding high-intensity physical strength and stamina have seen bad performances from keto dieting sportspersons. Ketosis is said to impart acidosis (more acidic levels in your blood) to your body. This limits your body to perform at its peak.

Ketoacidosis

The accumulation of too many ketones in diabetic patient’s blood leads to a condition called ketoacidosis. Ketones are produced as a result of burning body fat, which is acidic. This condition can damage your kidneys, brain, and liver.

Risk of regaining too much weight

People eventually regain too much weight when they abandon this diet since it is not long-term. So what’s the point of losing weight if you gain it all back with extra more pounds. It is better to have a healthy and balanced diet for constant healthy weight 

Loss of muscle mass

 Keto-related weight loss includes mass muscle reduction due to eating more fats as compared to proteins. Due to lessened muscle mass, the calories burned will be less as it burns more calories as compared to fats. This affects your metabolism cycle.

Apart from this, you also gain only fats rather than muscles if you switch to the standard diet. This is the primary reason that you gain more weight when you leave the keto diet.

Woman health

This diet causes extreme weight loss in women by halting the generation of certain hormones. Resulting in delayed periods or no periods at all, which can affect the overall health of women. Such consequences include anxiety, sexual problem, depression, and cardiovascular diseases.

 However, the women population with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) due to higher insulin levels faces the advantage of this diet. Although there is a specific keto diet for PCOS, women who maintain their healthy weight by following a balanced diet can also find an advantage over PCOS.

 If you’re on a keto diet, it’s best to gradually increase your carb intake rather than doing so all at once. It is important for people who are considering starting this diet to be aware of the above-mentioned keto diet side effects.

Is The Ketogenic Diet Suitable For Everyone?

Not everyone is a good fit for the keto diet. Individuals with chronic ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes, or other disorders resulting from a previous diet.

This diet can cause such a drastic alteration in many people’s metabolic and other body systems that sticking to it can even affect the efficacy of their medications. Due to the amount of food restriction, patients should be assessed by a physician before beginning a keto diet. They may need to start taking electrolyte supplements or adjust their prescription dosages daily. It’s a good idea to consult your doctor before you begin.

Conclusion

A ketogenic diet is a new fat-burning diet that has gained popularity among celebrities throughout the world. This diet is beneficial for shredding your weight in fewer periods.

A keto diet replaces carbs with fat. 70 percent fats, 5% carbohydrates, and 25% protein make up a typical keto diet. But there are side-effects too. If a person follows a keto diet for a long term then the person might develop a risk to suffer from vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients deficiency

A Keto diet could be bad as it can cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, and increase in the risk of suffering from various nutrition, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies. So, while taking a keto diet look to book the pros and cons of it.

 

FAQs:

1. Does having a Keto diet for the long term is good?

If a person follows a keto diet for the long term then the person might develop a risk to suffer from vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients deficiencies. Similarly, they might be more prone to heart diseases if they consume more saturated fat. It is advised if a person has a chronic disease then they must not follow a keto diet.

2. For how long should one follow a Keto diet?

One should follow a keto diet on the basis of a dietician’s suggestion but it is suggested one should follow a keto diet for three months to six months maximum. Because many people try to cycle in and out of the keto diet.

 
3. Why keto diet could be bad for you?

A Keto diet could be bad as it can cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, and increases in the risk of suffering from various nutrition, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies.
It also makes us prone to suffer from heart-related diseases. People who have problems related to their thyroid, gallbladder, and pancreas are not advised to follow a keto diet.

4. In how many days will the results of following the keto diet will show up?

If an individual is having a diet having 500 calories per day then the person may see weight loss within 20-21 days. But for some people, they might see the results quickly while for some it might take some time.
A keto diet could be bad as it can cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, and an increases in the risk of suffering from various nutrition, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies.

WOMS

World of Medical Saviours (WOMS) is a website formed by a group of medicos who are embarking to provide facts, tips and knowledge related to health and lifestyle. This website proves to be a great platform for the medical enthusiast and also for those medicos searching to outgrowth their knowledge about the medical field.

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