Ketogenic diet Archives - Amazing Health Advances

World’s Most Popular Diet Boosts Brain Power

The AHA! Team — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:36:52 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – A ketogenic diet can preserve your brain power and even reverse memory loss in old age, according to an exciting new study. The high-fat keto diet, which encourages your body to burn fat instead of carbs, is the world’s most popular meal plan. Users report shedding excess pounds quickly and getting a “second wind” with more energy. I’ve been recommending my fat-based, zero-carb “Primal Power Meal Plan” to patients for more than two decades. And while the impact of this diet on balanced blood sugar and weight loss is clear, there’s more to it… When you eat this way, you’ll immediately notice that your brain is firing on all cylinders. So, I wasn’t surprised to see studies that reveal what this diet can do for your memory. Memory Loss Reversed The latest study is a follow-up to a previous study that revealed the ketogenic diet can improve cognitive performance in older male mice. This time, the research team uncovered the specific mechanism that makes it possible. Scientists put 19 male mice aged between 20 and 23 months – which counts as “old age” for the animals – on either a cycled keto diet or a standard, control diet. Mice in the experimental group switched between a ketogenic diet and a standard diet every other week. Researchers measured metabolic changes for the first 12 weeks. For five weeks after that, the team examined differences in behavior. That’s when they found out what was really happening… Upon further testing, the scientists found that ketone bodies – which are produced by the liver when your body breaks down fat for energy instead of glucose – boosted the connection between the synapses in the brain.1 This has incredible implications for your brain and memory. As you may know, synapses make up the space between nerve cells. This is how chemicals are passed along between neurotransmitters. A better connection between the synapses in your brain helps neurons send signals more effectively – increasing your capacity to recall old memories and enhance your ability to store new ones.2 An earlier study noted that ketone bodies “decrease oxidative stress, increase antioxidants, and scavenge free radicals.” These processes are essential for promoting the healing of the brain.3 The researchers say this is what restored cognitive function in the mice. And they have every reason to believe it would have the same effect on humans. Ketones can be used by most cells of the brain to make energy. When insulin resistance blocks glucose from brain cells, this energy source for the brain can help restore function. Your body produces ketones when you eat a diet high in fat and very low in carbs. Your body enters a state called “ketosis.” Because your body doesn’t have carbs to burn for energy, you burn ketones instead. And ketones burn clean. They make fewer waste products, keeping the stress off the damaged brain cells. Studies show a ketogenic diet can slow and even help reverse dementia symptoms. In a recent study, 23 people with mild cognitive impairment were put on a high- or low-carb ketogenic diet. After just six weeks, the low-carb group showed improved memory compared to the high-carb group.4 Ketogenic diets have also been linked to reduced risk of type-2 diabetes,5 Alzheimer’s,6 Parkinson’s disease,7 autism,8 multiple sclerosis,9 and certain cancers, especially brain cancer.10 As I mentioned, I’ve been recommending a high-fat, low-carb meal plan for many years. In fact, I have a catered keto-friendly lunch for my staff every other week. Unlike other diet fads that have come and gone, a ketogenic meal plan doesn’t ask you to give up much — some of your favorite foods may already be on the menu. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS References: Acuna-Catalan D, et al. “Ketogenic diet administration later in life improves memory by modifying the synaptic cortical proteome via the PKA signaling pathway in aging mice.” Cell Reports Med. 2024;5(6):101593. Kennedy M. “Synaptic signaling in learning and memory.” Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2016;8(2):a016824. Greco T, et al. “Ketogenic diet decreases oxidative stress and improves mitochondrial respiratory complex activity.” J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2016 Sep; 36(9): 1603–1613. Krikorian R, et al. “Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment.” Neurobiology Aging. 012;33(2):425.e19-425.e27. University of Michigan. “Liquid low-calorie or low-carb keto diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, research shows.” (https://news.umich.edu/liquid-low-calorie-or-low-carb-keto-diet-can-reverse-type-2-diabetes-research-shows.) Accessed on July 17, 2024 Dillmore A, et al. “Effects of a ketogenic and low-fat diet on the human metabolome, microbiome, and foodome in adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Nov;19(11):4805-4816. Grochowska K and Przeliorz P. “The effect of the ketogenic diet on the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases and its impact on improving cognitive functions.” Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra. 2022 May-Aug; 12(2): 100–106. Evangeliou A, et al. “Application of a ketogenic diet in children with autistic behavior: pilot study.” J Child Neurol. 2003 Feb;18(2):113-8. Bock M, et al. “Ketogenic diet and prolonged fasting improve health-related quality of life and lipid profiles in multiple sclerosis – A randomized controlled trial.” 2015. Varshneya K, et al. “The efficacy of ketogenic diet and associated hypoglycemia as an adjuvant therapy for high-grade gliomas: a review of the literature.” Cureus. 2015 Feb 27;7(2):e251. To read the original article click here.

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Why Does Fasting Reduce Seizures?

AHA Publisher — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 07:00:03 +0000

Boston Children’s Hospital via Newswise – Calorie restriction has long been associated with reduced seizures in epilepsy. New research from Boston Children’s Hospital helps explain how fasting affects neurons in the brain and could lead the way to new approaches that would avoid the need for fasting or restrictive diets. The findings were published August 30 in the journal Cell Reports. “This study is the first step in understanding how dietary therapies for epilepsy work,” says first author Christopher J. Yuskaitis, MD, PhD, a neurologist with the Epilepsy Center and Epilepsy Genetics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The mechanisms have until now been completely unknown.” DEPDC5, mTOR, and Fasting To connect the dots between diet and seizures, the researchers began with existing knowledge. They knew that the well-known mTOR cellular pathway is involved in many neurological disorders and had shown previously that over-activation of this pathway in neurons increases susceptibility to seizures. Studies by others had shown that mTORC activity is inhibited by acute fasting, though these studies didn’t look at the brain. Finally, Yuskaitis and colleagues knew that signaling by a protein called DEPDC5 acts as a brake on the mTOR pathway. That was intriguing, since mutations in the DEPDC5 gene have recently been found in many people with epilepsy. DEPDC5 mutations have been linked to focal epilepsy, infantile spasms, and sudden death in children. “When we used an animal model that knocks out DEPDC5 specifically in the brain, we found that we could reduce seizures by using an mTOR inhibitor,” says Yuskaitis. “That gave us the idea to explore the connection between DEPDC5, mTOR, and fasting.” Amino Acid Sensing In the new study, they showed in a mouse seizure model that mTOR signaling was reduced in the brain after fasting. Additional studies of cultured rat neurons in a dish suggest that this fasting effect is primarily driven by the lack of three amino acids (leucine, arginine, and glutamine). Going further, the team demonstrated that the presence of these nutrients is sensed by the DEPDC5 protein. When they knocked out DEPDC5 in the brain, mTOR activity was not reduced and fasting no longer protected the mice against seizures. “Amino acid sensing seems to be critical for the beneficial effects of fasting on seizures,” says Yuskaitis. “This suggests that patients with DEPDC5 mutations can’t sense the loss of amino acids and may not benefit from dietary manipulation. But patients who don’t have DEPDC5 mutations may benefit from a targeted dietary strategy.” This could take the form of diets with lower levels of the three amino acids, or medications or supplements that block absorption of those amino acids, he adds. Next Step: Ketogenic Diet This study is only a first step. Yuskaitis and colleagues now want to try diets in animal models that eliminate specific amino acids and observe the effects on seizures. They also want to explore how the ketogenic diet, a popular approach to treating epilepsy, helps curb seizures. No one currently knows why this low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet works. “We’re hoping this will hope us uncover additional dietary-based therapies other than ketogenic diet, which is sometimes difficult to follow long term due to side effects,” says Yuskaitis. Such work may also provide a new lens on neurologic disorders overall. “Using these rare genetic disorders, we are starting to gain fundamental insights into the role of nutrients in brain function,” says senior investigator Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD, managing director of the Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center at Boston Children’s. “Findings from these rare disorders may open doors for better treatments of epilepsy in general.” To read the original article click here.

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Follow the Keto Diet the Right Way for Weight Loss and Better Health

AHA Publisher — Mon, 02 May 2022 07:00:31 +0000

Chulalongkorn University via Newswise – Chula doctors advise people to gain a better understanding of the “high-fat content Keto weight loss diet” to find out the good effects, and the side effects. The emphasis should be on weight loss to combat diseases and long-term health benefits with a balanced and moderate diet. Weight loss isn’t only about maintaining the desired figure and physical beauty. It is also a way to fight certain diseases and achieve good health. Nowadays there are several methods of dieting to achieve weight loss, most of them emphasizing the importance of consuming vegetables and fish while avoiding fatty food. There is, however, another method known as the Ketogenic diet which emphasizes “fat” as the mainstay in all meals consumed. According to Assistant Professor Patchaya Boonchaya-anant, M.D. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, “The key to a Ketogenic diet is weight reduction which plays a part in health care and treatment of such diseases as obesity and certain types of diabetes which require patients to have their weight under control.” She also provides advice on how to follow the Keto diet correctly to achieve positive results both in terms of health and bodyweight reduction. What is the Keto diet? Keto or the Ketogenic is a low carbohydrate and sugar diet and focuses instead on the consumption of “fat” and protein. Asst. Prof. Dr. Patchaya explains the premises of the Keto diet saying that “Carbohydrate foods like wheat and rice are digested and become glucose which is the main source of energy for the body. When we consume fewer carbs, the body will turn to the stored fat as its primary fuel and turn that into Ketone Bodies – hence the name Keto.” How to follow the Keto diet for effective weight loss The Keto diet for weight loss places emphasis mainly on fat and protein intake and reduces the proportion of carbohydrate consumption such as wheat, rice, and sugar to only 5% or 20-50 grams per day or not having any carbs at all in a meal. This leads to Ketosis which is when the body consumes body fat as its main source of energy. According to Dr. Pitchaya, carbs and proteins make you feel full for a longer period while Ketone Bodies reduce the appetite for food and help to control the level of calories being consumed which plays an important part in reducing body weight. What are the healthy fats in the Keto diet? Dr. Patchaya explains that even if the principles of the Keto diet are based on fat consumption, not all types of fats are healthy. “Even if the Keto diet is about eating fats, this doesn’t mean one can eat fatty or fried food like bacon that is full of large quantities of fat. If you choose to follow the Keto diet, it is important to choose healthy fats too” she cautions us. Fats in food can be classified into two types: Unsaturated fats or healthy fats Unsaturated fats or healthy fats are mostly found in vegetables and fatty fish like sea fish or salmon, avocado, olive oil, sunflower oil, soybeans, or sesame oil. Saturated fats Saturated fats contain fats that are both healthy and unhealthy and are mostly found in meat, lard, chicken, yogurt, butter, cheese, coconut milk, coconut oil, and palm oil, for example. Both types of fat are necessary and beneficial for the body but if one consumes too many saturated fats it can be harmful leading to high cholesterol levels, the danger of blood clots, strokes, and heart disease. Aside from the choice of fat consumption, Keto diet followers must also take caution in the types of fruits and vegetables they consume and void those with high carb and sugar levels or using sugar in their food which could lead to the body not achieving Ketosis. In such cases, weight loss can instead be replaced by weight and fat gain. What are some of the side effects of the Keto diet? A Keto diet for health and weight loss may not be suitable for everyone, Dr. Patchaya cautions. “If you are healthy, do not suffer from congenital diseases, and are not pregnant you can follow the Keto diet. If you do have health concerns, you need to consult your doctor first since certain diseases or medications you are taking can be harmful when you go on the Keto diet.” The Keto diet involves a very specific way of eating. It isn’t varied and reduces certain types of nutrients. If you do not pay close attention, it can cause several types of side effects such as Keto Flu: When the body achieves Ketosis you might experience flu-like symptoms with fever, head and body aches, nausea, vomiting, or fatigue. Most of the time, these symptoms will gradually disappear but if they persist for more than two weeks you should see your doctor. Nutrient deficiency: A Keto diet requires you to reduce the quantities of certain types of food and this might cause the body to receive inadequate amounts of certain nutrients such as fibers or vitamins that could be a cause of some other subsequent health problems. Constipation, dehydration, and mineral deficiency: The body expunges Ketone bodies along with urination leading to the loss of fluids putting you at risk of dehydration and mineral deficiency. Low levels of carbohydrate consumption will result in the body receiving inadequate fiber causing constipation. Constant thirst: is often found since the body expunges fluids and this causes Keto diet followers to feel constantly thirsty. Frequent sips of water are essential. Brain fatigue: brain fatigue, shortness of memory, and lack of concentration are found, though infrequently. Oily skin and acne: Consumption of certain types of fats can lead to skin irritation which might cause acne. Yoyo effect when the Keto diet is halted The Keto diet brings about rapid weight loss with less withdrawal symptoms than other types of diets. However, once the Keto diet is halted and the person resumes their previous way of life or consumes meals that are not a full Keto diet they might experience weight gain known as the Yoyo effect. The Keto diet is a fast and effective way to achieve weight loss but one might encounter some of the side effects mentioned. As of now, we still don’t have any clear data as to the impacts of the keto diet on one’s health in the long run. For this reason, when the desired weight loss is achieved one should resume a more varied and balanced diet for the long-term benefits of our health. Dr. Patchaya ended by telling us that “consuming the five groups of food in adequate quantities for the body may be a slower way to lose weight but should certainly yield positive effects in the long run.” To read the original article click here.

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Your Healthiest Season Ever With Beyond Keto

AHA Publisher — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 07:00:13 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – This could be your healthiest season yet. If you’re ready to ditch the processed, chemical-laden, unhealthy foods and move into a lifestyle that promotes energy, a healthy weight, healthy digestion, and a youthful brain, here it is. It’s time to take the best attributes of Keto Zone® and combine them with the best of the Mediterranean Diet. It’s time to experience Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto and live your healthiest season ever. Build Upon the Success of the Keto Zone® Many people have had incredible success with the Keto Zone. As reflected in studies on ketogenic diet results, Keto Zone users have experienced efficient and long-lasting weight loss, healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels, optimal blood sugars, and more (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). The Keto Zone has always gone beyond typical ketogenic diets to promote the healthiest low-carbohydrate and high-fat foods. While other ketogenic diets may allow processed foods or a diet too high in saturated fatty meats, Keto Zone encourages the healthiest fats such as extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil, healthy protein from fish, eggs, poultry, and more, and a plethora of fresh, vibrant vegetables, green powders, and fruit powders. Now, Dr. Colbert has put these optimized Keto Zone recommendations into a book. To engage in your healthiest summer, look no further than Beyond Keto Zone. As promised, you will find an eating lifestyle that marries healthy Keto Zone eating with the Mediterranean Diet. The result? A lifestyle that promotes a healthy weight, high energy, youthful brain function, healthy digestion, and more! An Optimal Approach: Beyond Keto Beyond Keto is the next logical step after Keto Zone. If you’ve had great success with Keto Zone, this book and lifestyle will help you move further in your health journey. If you’re new to Keto Zone and Beyond Keto, it will bring you up to speed for both aspects. It’s simply the best of the Keto Diet combined with the best of the Mediterranean Diet. Beyond Keto: Combining Two Diets for the Best Outcome How can Keto Zone and the Mediterranean diet work together? First, Keto Zone offers initial, efficient benefits with weight loss and improved blood sugars. This phase will produce great results for weight loss, optimal blood sugars, less hunger, and a “reset” for eating (10). For anyone who’s struggled with eating the same unhealthy foods for years, a dramatic change is often the “shake-up” they need to see results. This is part one. While in the keto phase, dieters will experience all the amazing benefits of ketosis. They will produce ketones that will reduce hunger, provide amazing natural energy, support mental focus, and encourage healthy weight loss and maintenance (11). Then, the Mediterranean diet allows for continual healthy-eating success, whole body health, better digestion, and a lifestyle of great health outcomes and enables one to live a long, healthy life. How? It’s highly anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is at the heart of many negative health issues, and any healthy diet should aim to reduce it while achieving long term health goals (12). What’s more, the Mediterranean Diet has been proven over centuries to support full body health. It’s especially beneficial for heart health, optimal blood sugars, gut microbiota, and metabolism (13) because it is based on healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and seafood. In addition, it’s full of colorful plant foods like vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, salads and healthy, low- sugared fruits. Typically the Mediterranean Diet also allows for some whole grains. However, Beyond Keto emphasizes the amazing foods in the Mediterranean Diet while limiting any refined carbohydrates and sugars. It’s All About Results Scientific study, experience, and decades of research all point to key approaches for a healthy lifestyle: achieve a healthy weight, maintain a healthy weight, and fight inflammation. This is right in line with Beyond Keto. It promotes: A Healthy Weight: Almost all current negative health conditions are linked to, or exacerbated by, obesity (14). By utilizing healthy ketogenic diet principles, Beyond Keto promotes healthy changes and outcomes as soon as the first two weeks (15)! In addition, the Mediterranean diet component continues to support healthy weight and healthy body composition. Its focus on lean proteins, seafoods, healthy oils, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and vegetables provide a wonderful well-balanced, satisfying dietary lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight (16). Energy, Vitality, and Mental Focus: One of the greatest benefits of the ketogenic diet is the production of ketones. Ketones are natural energizing compounds that support healthy mental focus and vitality. The Mediterranean diet also encourages great energy and vitality with the abundant variety of healthy foods. Rather than experiencing the ups and downs of a high-sugar diet, you will enjoy steady, youthful energy from delicious, colorful whole foods. Optimal Blood Sugars and Metabolism: An amazing aspect of both the ketogenic diet and the Mediterranean diet normalized blood sugars. By using both eating styles in Beyond Keto, you’ll remove harmful refined starches while focusing on healthy fats, high fiber beans, peas, lentils, vegetables, lean protein and low glycemic fruits such as berries. Part of the improvement comes from weight loss. The other part comes from a diet that supports healthy metabolism and hormones (17). Healthy Cholesterol, Triglyceride, and Blood Pressure Levels. Both the Keto Zone and Mediterranean diet aspects of Beyond Keto support heart health. First, Beyond Keto promotes a healthy weight, which can help optimize heart health. Next, by choosing the incredibly heart-healthy foods in the Mediterranean diet, you can continue to encourage great heart health In fact, the foods in the Mediterranean diet and Beyond Keto work to support heart health, healthy cholesterol, and achieve whole-body health (18). Natural Unprocessed Foods Full of Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Compounds. One of the worst dietary habits plaguing humans worldwide is the consumption of ultra-processed foods. In fact, researchers have found that ultra-processed foods are linked to most modern health conditions and even overall risk of death (19)! Thankfully, you’ll eat a healthy, high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods rather than ultra-processed ones (20). Healthy Gut Microbiota. Amazingly, Beyond Keto combines Keto Zone and Mediterranean foods to support gut health! This is great news for the millions of people who suffer from less-than-optimal gut function. In fact, studies have found the Mediterranean diet specifically improves gut microbiota and its associated metabolism functions. The diet’s prebiotics from healthy fibers along with healthy fats and polyphenols support gut health, hormone balance, and metabolism (21). Bottom Line: Experience Your Healthiest Summer It’s not just a diet. You can learn to live a healthy lifestyle that promotes healthy weight, energy, mental focus, reduced inflammation, and vitality! Don’t wait. Get started today with Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto and make this next season your best one yet! To read the original article click here.

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Keto Diet May Reduce Damage from Traumatic Brain Injury

AHA Publisher — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 08:00:34 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Eating a ketogenic diet appears to be beneficial after traumatic brain injury, according to an international study piloted by Tel Aviv University. Traumatic brain injury, which affects some 10 million people every year, can cause physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional damage and is also a risk factor for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The study indicates that a keto diet improves spatial and visual memory, lowers brain inflammation, causes less neuronal death and slows the rate of cellular aging in injured brains. The study was led by Prof. Chaim (Chagi) Pick, director of TAU’s Sylvan Adams Sports Institute and a member of its Sagol School of Neuroscience, and PhD student Meirav Har-Even Kerzhner, a registered dietitian and brain researcher. The findings were published in Scientific Reports. Har-Even Kerzhner explained that a ketogenic diet aims to mimic a state of fasting. Carbohydrates such as bread, sugar, grains, legumes, pastries and even fruits are significantly restricted, while high-fat foods such as meat, fish, eggs, avocado and butter are encouraged. The diet increases production of ketone bodies, energy-generating molecules produced in the liver when it breaks down fats. The blood carries these ketone bodies to the brain. This diet has been used to treat children with epilepsy for almost 100 years, and more recently has become popular for weight loss. In the study, conducted on brain-damaged mice, the researchers saw that a ketogenic diet greatly improved their brain function compared to a control group fed a standard diet. The findings were unequivocal, Pick said. “These results may open the door to further research that will inspire hope for those suffering from traumatic brain injuries, and their family members.” Researchers from New Jersey and Florida participated in the study. To read the original article click here.

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Tools to Exercise Your Brain and Improve Cognitive Function

AHA Publisher — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 08:00:03 +0000

Will Cole via Dr. Caroline Leaf – Your brain is one of the most complex organs in your body and is responsible for your movements, mood, and thoughts. Without your brain you wouldn’t be able to function on any level and when it isn’t working optimally, it shows. We often like to separate mental health from physical health but in reality, mental health is physical health. Our brain is part of our body, and there are measurable physiological implications that can drive brain health problems. And with brain problems on the rise, I see more and more people seeking out my expertise in my telehealth functional medicine clinic than ever before. And while every person’s health case is different, there are a few tools that I regularly implement and recommend to my patients for their proven benefits when it comes to brain health. Keep reading for my top 5 brain-boosting tools. 1. Intermittent Fasting A study published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences theorize that the continuous consumption of food causes changes in epigenetic molecular DNA and protein that negatively impact cognition that can even be passed down to future generations. And while there are multiple benefits to fasting, improved brain health is at the top of the list. In my newest book Intuitive Fasting, I dive into all the ways fasting can enhance cognitive function coupled with a 4-Week plan designed to guide you through varying intermittent fasting windows. Each week of the plan is tailored to focus on a different aspect of your health so that by the end of the four weeks, you will have all the tools necessary to achieve metabolic flexibility and thriving brain function. 2. Clean Keto Diet A clean, plant-centric ketogenic diet (which I call Ketotarian) is a great way to support optimal brain health. Both the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting can help you reach nutritional ketosis quicker and amplify the many other benefits of fasting including improved cognitive function. That’s what I call a win-win. Ketone bodies like beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) act as a signaling molecule in brain cells and can induce the expressions of proteins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein is known for promoting cellular resilience and synaptic plasticity. This means that BDNF works to support the survival of existing brain cells and encourages the growth of new ones. Lowered synaptic plasticity has been shown to contribute to a range of brain health, psychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, autism, schizophrenia, and addition. 4. Time outdoors In addition to providing you with the most bioavailable source of vitamin D (which is linked to decreased memory and brain fog), the sun also provides healing infrared light, which is essential to calming inflammation levels that can further perpetuate poor memory and cognitive function. 5. Meditation Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to regenerate itself by making new neural connections. This slowly decreases over time but meditation can increase the thickness of the brain’s prefrontal cortex. This helps to slow down cognitive decline and preserve neuroplasticity. Regular meditation is alsoassociated with more activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the angular cingulate cortex, the areas of the brain responsible for memory and focus. And if you are looking to find your zen, meditation can increase brain gray matter volume in the right angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri areas of the brain that is responsible for mood stabilization. Just 10-20 minutes of meditation a day is enough to reap these powerful benefits! 6. Learn something Learning something new has been shown to strengthen the connections in your brain and improve overall memory function. And the benefits don’t stop there. The feel-good endorphin dopamine is associated with being rewarded, and when we learn something new, dopamine is released in your brain. While I suggest working with a functional medicine practitioner directly who can uncover the root cause of your symptoms and develop a customized plan for optimizing your brain health, these tools can be a great starting point for finally achieving the mental clarity you’ve been searching for. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Leaf click here.

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Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide to “Keto”

The AHA! Team — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DMN, CNSD – In part, keto diet weight loss is a real thing because high-fat, low-carb diets can both help diminish hunger and boost weight loss through their hormonal effects. As described above, when we eat very little foods that supply us with carbohydrates, we release less insulin. With lower insulin levels, the body doesn’t store extra energy in the form of fat for later use, and instead is able to reach into existing fat stores for energy. Unlike many fad diets that come and go with very limited rates of long-term success, the ketogenic diet (or keto diet) has been practiced for more than nine decades (since the 1920s) and is based upon a solid understanding of physiology and nutrition science. The keto diet works for such a high percentage of people because it targets several key, underlying causes of weight gain – including hormonal imbalances, especially insulin resistance coupled with high blood sugar levels, and the cycle of restricting and “binging” on empty calories due to hunger that so many dieters struggle with. In fact, these are some of the direct benefits of the keto diet. What is the keto diet? Rather than relying on counting calories, limiting portion sizes, resorting to extreme exercise or requiring lots of willpower, this low-carb diet takes an entirely different approach to weight loss and health improvements. It works because it changes the very “fuel source” that the body uses to stay energized: namely, from burning glucose (or sugar) to dietary fat, courtesy of keto diet recipes and the keto diet food list items, including high-fat, low-carb foods. Making that switch will place your body in a state of “ketosis,” when your body becomes a fat burner rather than a sugar burner. Fortunately, if you’re new to this type of eating plan, a keto diet for beginners, or keto basics, is surprising simple to follow. Here’s how to do the keto diet: 1. Reduce one’s carb intake. 2. Increase your consumption of healthy fats, which help create satiety. 3. Without glucose coursing through your body, it’s now forced to burn fat and produce ketones instead. 4. Once the blood levels of ketones rise to a certain point, you officially reach ketosis. 5. This state results in consistent, fairly quick weight loss until your body reaches a healthy and stable weight. What Is the Keto Diet? What is the ketogenic diet exactly? The classic ketogenic diet is a very low-carb diet plan that was originally designed in the 1920s for patients with epilepsy by researchers working at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. Researchers found that fasting – avoiding consumption of all foods for a brief period of time (such as with intermittent fasting), including those that provide carbohydrates – helped reduce the amount of seizures patients suffered, in addition to having other positive effects on body fat, blood sugar, cholesterol and hunger levels. (1) Unfortunately, long-term fasting is not a feasible option for more than a few days, therefore the keto diet was developed to mimic the same beneficial effects of fasting. Essentially, the keto diet for beginners works by “tricking” the body into acting as if its fasting (while reaping intermittent fasting benefits), through a strict elimination of glucose that is found in carbohydrate foods. Today the standard keto diet goes by several different names, including the “low-carbohydrate” or “very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet”(LCKD or VLCKD for short). At the core of the classic keto diet is severely restricting intake of all or most foods with sugar and starch (carbohydrates). These foods are broken down into sugar (insulin and glucose) in our blood once we eat them, and if these levels become too high, extra calories are much more easily stored as body fat and results in unwanted weight gain. However, when glucose levels are cut off due to low-carb intake, the body starts to burn fat instead and produces ketones that can be measured in the blood (using urine strips, for example). Keto diets, like most low carb diets, work through the elimination of glucose. Because most folks live on a high carb diet, our bodies normally run on glucose (or sugar) for energy. We cannot make glucose and only have about 24 hours’ worth stored in our muscle tissue and liver. Once glucose is no longer available from food sources, we begin to burn stored fat instead, or fat from our food. Therefore, when you’re following a ketogenic diet plan for beginners, your body is burning fat for energy rather than carbohydrates, so in the process most people lose weight and excess body fat rapidly, even when consuming lots of fat and adequate calories through their daily food intake. Another major benefit of the keto diet is that there’s no need to count calories, feel hungry or attempt to burn loads of calories through hours of intense exercise. In some ways, it’s similar to the Atkins diet, which similarly boosts the body’s fat-burning abilities through eating only low-carb foods, along with getting rid of foods high in carbs and sugar. Removing glucose from carbohydrate foods will cause the body to burn fat for energy instead. The major differences between the classic keto and the Atkins diet is the former emphasizes healthier keto fats, less overall protein and no processed meat (such as bacon) while having more research to back up its efficacy. In fact, those differences with Atkins outline some of the popular keto diet myths, such as it being another high-protein plan, recommending any type of fat and that barely any science research backs up the benefits. These are nutrition lies, plain and simple. So is the keto diet healthy? If it’s done Atkins style? No. But if relying on healthy fats, greens and organic meats? Very much so. What Is Ketosis? What does “keto” stand for exactly? Keto is short for ketosis, which is the result of following the standard ketogenic diet, which is why it’s also sometimes called “the ketosis diet” or “ketosis diet plan.” Following a ketogenic diet puts your body into a state of “ketosis,” which is a metabolic state that occurs when most of the body’s energy comes from ketone bodies in the blood, rather than from glucose from carbohydrate foods (like grains, all sources of sugar or fruit, for example). This is in contrast to a glycolytic state, where blood glucose (sugar) provides most of the body’s fuel (or energy). This state can also be achieved by multiple days of total fasting, but that isn’t sustainable beyond a few days. (It’s why some keto diet plans for beginners combine intermittent fasting with keto for greater weight loss effects.) Although dietary fat (especially saturated fat) often gets a bad name, provoking fear of weight gain and heart disease, it’s also your body’s second preferred source of energy when carbohydrates are not easily accessible. How Do You Get Into Ketosis? So many people ask, does the keto diet work? Yes, of course, but only if you can get your body into ketosis. Here’s how you get your body into ketosis and start burning body fat for fuel in a keto diet for beginners: 1. Consumption of glucose from carbohydrate foods – grains, starchy vegetables, fruit, etc. – is cut way down. 2. This forces your body to find an alternative fuel source: fat (think avocados, coconut oil, salmon). 3. Meanwhile, in the absence of glucose, the body also starts to burn fat and produces ketones instead. 4. Once ketone levels in the blood rise to a certain point, you enter into a state of ketosis. 5. This state of high ketone levels results in quick and consistent weight loss until you reach a healthy, stable body weight. Wondering how many carb foods you can eat and still be “in ketosis”? The traditional ketogenic diet, created for those with epilepsy consisted of getting about 75 percent of calories from sources of fat (such as oils or fattier cuts of meat), 5 percent from carbohydrates and 20 percent from protein. For most people a less strict version (what I call a “modified keto diet”) can still help promote weight loss in a safe, and often very fast, way. In order to transition and remain in this state, aiming for about 30-50 net grams is typically the recommended amount of total carbs to start with. This is considered a more moderate or flexible approach but can be less overwhelming to begin with. Once you’re more accustomed to “eating keto,” you can choose to lower carbs even more if you’d like (perhaps only from time to time), down to about 20 grams of net carbs daily. This is considered the standard, “strict” amount that many keto dieters aim to adhere to for best results, but remember that everyone is a bit different. 6 Main Benefits of the Keto Diet 1. Weight loss Of the many benefits of a keto diet, weight loss is often considered No. 1., as it can often be substantial and happen quickly (especially for those who start out very overweight or obese). The 2013 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that those following a keto diet “achieved better long-term body weight and cardiovascular risk factor management when compared with individuals assigned to a conventional low-fat diet (i.e. a restricted-energy diet with less than 30 percent of energy from fat).” (2) A 2014 keto diet review published in the International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health states: One of the most studied strategies in the recent years for weight loss is the ketogenic diet. Many studies have shown that this kind of nutritional approach has a solid physiological and biochemical basis and is able to induce effective weight loss along with improvement in several cardiovascular risk parameters. (3) In part, keto diet weight loss is a real thing because high-fat, low-carb diets can both help diminish hunger and boost weight loss through their hormonal effects. As described above, when we eat very little foods that supply us with carbohydrates, we release less insulin. With lower insulin levels, the body doesn’t store extra energy in the form of fat for later use, and instead is able to reach into existing fat stores for energy. Keto diets are high in healthy fats and protein also tend to be very filling, which can help reduce overeating of empty calories, sweets and junk foods. (4) For most people eating a healthy low-carb diet, it’s easy to consume an appropriate amount of calories, but not too many, since things like sugary drinks, cookies, bread, cereals, ice cream or other desserts and snack bars are off-limits. Often caused by lymph node removal or damage due to cancer treatment, lymphedema occurs because there’s a blockage in the lymphatic system and results in the swelling in leg or arm. A 2017 study involved patients who suffered from obesity and lymphedema and who embarked on a 18-week ketogenic diet. Weight and limb volume was significantly reduced. (5) Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder, and it affects women of reproductive age. Symptoms include obesity, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. A pilot study took 11 women through 24 weeks of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (20 grams or less per day). Among the five who completed the study, they lost 12 percent of their weight on average and reduced fasting insulin by 54 percent. Additionally, two women who previously experienced infertility problems became pregnant. (6) 2. Reduce Risk for Type 2 Diabetes This process of burning fat provides more benefits than simply helping us to shed extra weight â€” it also helps control the release of hormones like insulin, which plays a role in development of diabetes and other health problems. When we eat carbohydrates, insulin is released as a reaction to elevated blood glucose (an increase in sugar circulating in our blood) and insulin levels rise. Insulin is a “storage hormone” that signals cells to store as much available energy as possible, initially as glycogen (aka stored carbohydrates in...

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