A Ketogenic Diet for Type 2 Diabetes

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Nowadays, people are opting for a healthy lifestyle to improve their overall health and quality of life. This includes regular physical activity, reducing their sugar intake and partaking in healthy diets. One of the most popular diets out there is the ketogenic diet as it provides fast results in a short period of time. However, many physicians and nutritionists also recommend this diet to diabetic people since it helps control their sugar levels. How is this possible? Let's show you the wonders of the keto diet and its effect on type 2 diabetes.


What is a Ketogenic Diet?




A ketogenic diet is a food regimen that is based on fat-rich meals and low-carbohydrate content to revamp your metabolism. This shift in your metabolism provides many health benefits, such as burning body fat, promoting weight loss, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and boosting your immune system.




Initially, scientists created the keto diet as an alternative treatment to control epileptic seizures in children since the metabolic changes derived from ketosis protect neurons (brain cells) from damage or injuries. However, further investigations revealed its potential as a great option to treat and manage other health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental disorders.


How does the Keto Diet work?




A keto regimen produces the same changes that occur when a person enters in a fasting state. Usually, when we fast (no food consumption for eight hours or more), our body causes a shift in its metabolism, where it utilizes fat as the main source of energy. It transports fat cells to your liver and transforms them into ketones, which provides energy to your body. This process is also known as ketosis.




However, ketosis will only take place if fat is the only energy source available. Our body is designed to use carbohydrates as its main source of energy and fat as an alternative option. For this reason, it is necessary to reduce dramatically your carb intake and increase fat consumption to activate ketosis.


The Keto Diet and Type 2 Diabetes




As we know, type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic health condition where your body is unable to stabilize your blood sugar levels. This occurs due to two main reasons. First, your pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to use all the sugar available in your blood. Secondly, your body does release insulin, but your organs and muscles are unable to react appropriately to it to use all the glucose (sugar) available in the bloodstream. This is called insulin resistance, which is the most common factor in type 2 diabetes. 




Research has shown promising evidence that a keto diet may help diabetic people manage better their glycemic (blood sugar) levels and also aid in weight loss. Whenever a person consumes any form of carbohydrate (whole grains, starchy vegetables, pastries, and sugary drinks), a spike is produced in their blood sugar levels. Your pancreas responds by releasing insulin so the surrounding tissues transport all the excess glucose and use it as energy. However, these levels remain high in diabetic people, which can lead to life-threatening complications, such as heart attacks, nerve damage, and increased blood sugar. 




Since a keto diet focuses on a low-carb content, your blood sugar levels remain normal since you obtain your calories from fat-rich products and protein. In the end, this improves your organs' capacity to react adequately to insulin, maintain glycemic levels at bay, and burn extra body fat. Even more, studies have shown that a keto diet could potentially reverse diabetic symptoms if said patient partakes in other healthy habits, like regular physical activity and adequate water consumption.

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