Quote:
Originally Posted by pman10
1.) Cholesterol intake has NOTHING to do with your levels of insulin (or counter-regulatory hormones for that matter). Eating that sort of diet will lead to increased levels of cholesterol intake into your body. The cholesterol is taken up by particles (lipoproteins) into your bloodstream. Your liver ordinarily is involved with removing excess cholesterol in the blood, via receptor-mediated uptake. When you have very high levels of cholesterol in your blood, some of that cholesterol is taken up by phagocytes (macrophages) in the lining of your arteries. Phagocytes then oxidize the protein-cholesterol particles, ultimately leading to deposition of lipids in your blood vessel walls, and ATHEROSCLEROSIS (which is a direct cause of vascular disease and heart attacks).
2.) You are correct that the ketogenic diet will downregulate insulin, as the body perceives that you are in a low-energy (fasting) state due to low glucose levels. The body's reaction to this is to activate hormone-sensitive lipase in your adipose tissues, releasing fatty acids into your blood stream. Coupled with your excessive ingestion of fats (eg. bacon), you end up in a state of hypertriglyceridemia (high lipid levels in your blood), which is a direct risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.
3.) Your liver attempts to compensate for your low glucose levels by ketogenesis (ketosis). It does this by taking up SOME of the fats in your circulation (as well as proteins) and converts them into ketone bodies. One of the side effects is that some fat gets stored in your liver, and over time can lead to fatty liver disease, a cause of hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer).
4.) I've heard about the 'Inuit hypothesis'. Current theory holds that they likely have genetic differences (due to natural selection) that allow them to maintain a ketogenic diet without any adverse effects. These DNA sequencing studies I believe are currently ongoing.
Ketogenic diet adverse effects summary:
1.) Increased cholesterol levels -> increased risk of heart attack or stroke
2.) Increased lipid levels in blood -> increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and/or liver disease
3.) Increased risk of kidney stones
You are right, the point of a diet is to be short term. MY point, however, is that no one knows for certain what delineates between "short term" and "long term". There is no clear-cut line between 'safe' , short term ketosis and long-term, damaging ketosis. Plus, I would assume that one would have to repeatedly return to the diet to maintain those weight losses, unless you manage the impossible (maintaining your post-diet weight perfectly, forever).
I don't understand why one would choose this diet, but it's your choice if you choose to follow it. However, don't portray your diet as perfectly safe or medically sound. I just want to make sure that everyone is well and truly aware of the potential health issues associated with a ketogenic diet, upon which they can make an informed decision. If you don't believe me, speak to your physician. Or, open a physiology textbook.
Best of luck
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I have never said anywhere that the diet is Medically Sound or Perfectly Safe, and I should say that almost no one can say that about most of the things people eat.
But, however, I don't believe the dangers you're speaking of are inherently great in the short-period of time people are on this diet.
Back to the Cholesterol thing.
Cholesterol is proportional to body weight/body fat. Cholesterol is used by the body to ensure healthy cell growth, though understandably too much will be bad for you since that leads to high blood pressure, cardiovascular risks, and cuts off blood-circulation (eventually, somewhere).
Now please understand this, as I understand exactly what you're trying to tell me about the biological repercussions of being in ketosis. This Cyclical Ketogenic Diet was made for bodybuilders who wanted to cut-down body fat and prepare for competitions, or just get ready for summer beaches (something most healthy conscious people do).
This is why the CKD diet is done alongside a five day weight-lifting and cardio-intensive excercise regime.
Referring back to information clearly discussed in the original post, a person under ketosis will produce enzymes that begin to switch the body over to using fat as fuel, instead of carbohydrates. Understanding this, you'd understand that the body will directly take energy from your fat-storages -- causing faster-than-usual fat burning.
With the body in ketosis and working out 5 times a week, a person is expected to lose considerable amounts of weight (8lbs for me in one week).
Every single physician in this world will tell you that losing 5-10lbs of fat will do wonders to your body's cholesterol levels because cholesterol is directly tied into body-weight and body-fat percentages, even the Mayo Clinic agrees. The reason why the CKD diet is attributable to lower Cholesterol levels is because of this rapid fat loss.
Lower body weight and lower body fat equates to lower production of cholesterol by the body. Bingo! The same thing happens no matter whichever way/diet/excercise regime/etc you decide to put your body through to lose weight.
Lowering your weight simply lowers cholesterol production because it's directly tied into body weight. It's that simple.
Now, I understand your logical rhetoric. You're telling me and everyone else here that
high consumptions of saturated fats will clog your arteries. Of course they do,
but in excess quantities AND coupled with a poor active lifestyle that so many people seem to have nowadays. I understand the rhetoric about ketosis putting someone in the position to consume high-amounts of fats and subsequently putting them in high-risk of cardiovascular disease.
I get it.
What you don't seem to understand is with the amount of weight a person loses on this CKD diet being in ketosis, working out 5x a week and having a strict mathematical breakdown of how much protein/fat intake you're supposed to have based on your body weight (and being in a ketogenic state), you would THEORETICALLY never have high-cholesterol levels.
In a ketogenic state, your fat-intake levels are allowed to increase because lipids become the main source of fuel. This is why there is a strictly mathematical portion to this diet outlining how much grams of fat one may intake on a daily basis. This high level of lipid consumption is unacceptable for a body not using lipids (fats) as their main source of fuel (ketogenic state), and will absolutely 100% lead to high-cholesterol and serious cardiovascular disease (in a high-carb diet). That is what you do not understand. This is simply a different scenario.
But what about the carb-up? Surely when we carb-up the high-fat intake will work adversely to harm the body, since now normal biological conditions apply.
Wrong. The CKD Diet, and written clearly in the Original Post, outlines a low-fat intake on your carb-up days.
The CKD Diet also calls for high-water intake to specifically aid the liver since, as you outlined oh-so biologically it's role, it is directly involved when the body is in Ketosis.
Make your argument about someone on the CKD diet, not following the reccomended fat/protein intake consumptions and then over-loading on high-fats while slacking off in the excercise regime and then, yes, then we will have basis for grounds in which you can argue against me that this will be potentially and seriously life-threatening being on this diet -- but if you're already breaking all the rules then you're not even on this diet to begin with. I even told everyone previously above that if you messed up on this diet and consumed carbs and slacked off, this diet will have severely adverse effects.
Cliffs:
- Ketogenic diet puts the body in a state where lipids (fat) is used as primary fuel source.
- This is why the CKD diet allows for higher lipid (fat) intake since it's purpose is to switch to fatty acid fuel sources and deplete your glycogen reserves (body fat).
- The CKD diet specifically entails how much grams of fat/protein intake one must/may consume on a daily basis based on a person being in this CKD-state.
- Cholesterol production, being directly tied into body-weight and body-fat percentages, will lower because of the amount of faster-than-usual weight loss (and therefore lower body-weight and body fat %) on the diet, in unison with a 5-day lifting/cardio excercise regime.
- The CKD Diet also entails having high-water intake to aid the liver as it's directly involved in ketosis and the higher-than-usual amount of lipid/protein ingestion.
P.S. Dr. Atkins is the pioneer of Ketogenic Diets and was also a well-known
cardiologist. When the original Atkins diet (which involves no excercise regime like CKD) was introduced, everyone tried to nail his ass to the wall with medical literature discussing the biological consequences of high-fat ingestion. What people do not understand, and clearly still do not continue to understand, is that applying normal-high-carb-diet conditions to a ketogenic-no-carb-diet state
is as effective as comparing Apples to Oranges.
P.S.S. I will also no longer entertain the idea of arguing with anybody who really does not wish to read the original post, as I've had to refer back to it in almost all of these responses in order to outline what information was presented about the ketogenic diet.
P.S.S.S. I will repeat this again: Follow the diet carefully. Keep your Water intake high. And never give up on your workouts or cardiovascular exercises. This diet is centered around cardio and weight lifting.