What are the risks/hazards of this diet?
If ketogenic nutrition is carried out over a very long period of time without medical supervision, the diet can have a negative effect on blood values. In the long term, the kidney can be stressed by the increased protein intake, which can even lead to renal insufficiency. Substances can be deposited in the joints, which can lead to gout.
If a person eats a high-fat diet for several years, the blood lipid values increase accordingly. Permanently elevated blood lipid values favour the development of arteriosclerosis. Calcification of the blood vessels in turn promotes the development of dangerous brain or heart attacks. For this reason, the blood values should be checked regularly if you lead a ketogenic lifestyle.
Criticism of the ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet has a wide range of applications. It can be used in bodybuilding, epilepsy, as therapy for MS (multiple sclerosis) and many other cases. Scientific success of the ketogenic diet could not be proven so far, but this diet has been used for more than 80 years in the treatment of epilepsy in children and adolescents.
However, it should not be neglected that the diet must be checked by a doctor due to its side effects. If you eat a purely ketogenic diet for several years, this can have serious complications. The kidneys and joints can be damaged, the vessels can calcify prematurely due to the high fat consumption and heart or brain infarctions can result.
Side effect of ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet often leads to diarrhea, constipation, nausea and/or fatigue, especially in the initial phase of the dietary change. Frequently the performance decreases and one becomes unfocused. These complaints should however disappear after a few weeks.
In the long term, the increased protein content in the diet can lead to kidney stones and reduced bone mass. In the long term, the risk of developing gout can be increased. In addition, increased blood fat values can occur, which is why many nutritionists advise against a high-fat diet.If blood lipid levels are elevated for years, this can have serious effects on the cardiovascular system and promote arteriosclerosis, the hardening of the blood vessels.
The risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack can thus be increased. It is not uncommon for a person to be hungry and to give up carbohydrates during a diet. If the ketogenic diet is interrupted or cheated by adding carbohydrates to the diet from time to time, this can quickly lead to weight gain, as carbohydrates in combination with the other high-fat ketogenic diet provide a lot of energy.
A yo-yo effect often occurs if the diet is suddenly interrupted. In small children, the ketogenic diet may occasionally cause growth retardation. Low-carb diets such as the radical ketogenic diet often cause unpleasant bad breath.
It is not uncommon for the ketogenic diet to cause diarrhea in the initial phase and constipation later. If the body eats low-fat for years, it restricts the production of digestive enzymes. In the end, only what is needed is produced.
If the body is unable to break down the large amount of fat at the beginning of the ketogenic diet, large amounts of it enter the large intestine undigested, leading to diarrhea and fatty stools. In order to avoid this, it can help to add digestive enzymes to meals, especially at the beginning of the change in diet. Especially if too little is drunk, unpleasant bad breath is caused by the excretion of ketone/ketone bodies with the exhaled air.
Fatty acids and cell metabolites, but also sulfur compounds from bacteria, additionally promote the development of bad breath. If too little saliva flows, the mouth becomes dry and the bacteria can multiply. If there are still residual food residues from fatty and protein-containing foods, this promotes the decay process in the oral cavity.
Drinking a lot can help to reduce bad breath. Nevertheless, bad breath is to be expected with a ketogenic diet, as ketone bodies are excreted through the exhaled air and therefore smell unpleasant. Many people who have been on a ketogenic diet for a long time complain of constipation.
In addition, people on a ketogenic diet generally have less bowel movement than before the diet. The reason for this is that the diet is relatively low in fibre and many fibres are excreted undigested with the stool and create more quantity. Fats and protein can be almost completely digested.
If you eat a lot of meat with fat and few carbohydrates, very few food residues reach the large intestine after such a meal, so less stool is produced. Especially in the initial phase of ketogenic nutrition, in addition to digestive problems, fatigue and lack of concentration occur. Fatigue, headaches and sleeping problems can also occur. The reason for this is that the body lacks the accustomed energy suppliers and has to adapt to the new energy sources. The tiredness and symptoms like fatigue and headaches usually disappear after the first few days.
