The Keto Lifestyle

What’s the new information?

Ketosis causes the body to switch from a sugar-burner to a fat-burner.

Ketosis is simply the state of burning fat for fuel.

Ketones are the preferred fuel source for the muscles, heart, liver, and brain.

When keto-adapted, energy comes from body fat, and dietary fat.

Nutritional ketosis happens when elevated ketones occur simultaneously with low blood sugar levels.

Increasing blood ketones results in incredible energy and steady mood.

Ketogenic diets can reverse many chronic diseases.

Ketogenic diet has resulted in potentially positive results to reverse hair loss.

Determining one’s carbohydrate tolerance level is key to getting into ketosis. Each individual has a different level of carb tolerance.

Gluconeogenesis can be problematic for ketosis if too much protein is consumed. Eating too much protein can prevent adequate ketone production.

To produce ketones, one needs to eat fat. Consuming fat is necessary so that one can burn it as an alternative fuel source. Eat more saturated and monounsaturated fats.

Fat leads to feeling fuller, acts as an alternative fuel, and triggers ketone production.

There are 3 types of ketones:

• acetoacetate (measured in urine)
• beta-hydroxybutyrate (measured in blood)
• acetone (measured in breath)

Blood ketone testing is much more accurate than urine ketone testing. Breath ketones correlate very closely to blood ketone levels. After one is keto-adapted, ketones in the urine may disappear.

Blood ketones rise as one becomes keto-adapted within 2-6 weeks.

Fasting is a natural, spontaneous response to higher levels of ketones. Prolonged periods of fasting raise blood ketones and lower blood sugar levels.

Very low-carb diets improve insulin sensitivity. Type-2 diabetes responds well to ketogenic diets because of its insulin-lowering effect.

Heart disease and metabolic syndrome greatly improve on a ketogenic diet.

MCT oil will temporarily raise blood ketones.

Coconut oil is composed predominantly of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Most all fats in our diet, whether they are saturated or unsaturated, are in the form of larger long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). Both vegetable oils and animal fats are composed almost entirely of LCTs.

With LCTs, the fats are slowly broken down by digestive enzymes into fatty acids (long chain fatty acids), which are small enough to be absorbed through the intestinal wall. As they pass through the intestinal lining, they are gathered together and packaged into littles bundles of fat and protein called lipoproteins. They are sent into the bloodstream, where they circulate throughout the body. They are distributed to all the tissues, and with the aid of insulin, some of these long chain fatty acids are shuttled into the fat cells. Excess blood glucose is also converted into long chain fatty acids and stored in fat cells.

With MCTs, they are smaller in size. They don’t require pancreatic enzymes for digestion. By the time these fats reach the intestinal tract, they are already broken down into individual fatty acids (medium chain fatty acids) and instead of passing through the intestinal wall, they are immediately absorbed into the portal vein and channeled directly into the liver. Here, they are converted into energy to fuel metabolism. Coconut oil goes to the liver to produce energy, not body fat.

Coconut oil and ketogenic diet boost thyroid health, thereby normalizing thyroid function.

Caffeine can ultimately raise blood sugar levels, which can deplete ketones.

One-hour post-prandial blood glucose level is a key predictor of becoming diabetic. If the 1-hour level is >150, risk is very high. One can detect potential diabetes very early on through this test, through the detection of insulin resistance 20-25 years before one develops diabetes.

Normal fasting blood glucose level targets are 85 mg/L, 1-hour level under 150mg/L, 2-hour level under 115 mg/L.

Insulin’s message to the kidneys is to hold on to salt. Insulin makes the kidneys do this even if the kidneys would much prefer not to. Since the body controls sodium within a tight range, the kidneys need to bring on more water to dilute the salt, so it stays in the safe range. Increased sodium retention results in increased water retention. More water means more blood volume, which means higher blood pressure.

Table sugar (sucrose) is composed of equal parts glucose and fructose. Glucose can be used by any cell in the body. Fructose is metabolic poison.

High fructose corn syrup is 55% fructose and 45% glucose.

Glucose goes straight to the bloodstream and then into the cells; fructose goes straight to the liver. Fructose is metabolized by the body like fat, and it turns into fat (triglycerides) almost immediately.

Fructose is the major cause of fat accumulation in the liver (fatty liver), and this has a direct link to insulin resistance.

What are the key learnings?

A ketogenic diet is not high-protein, but rather high-fat.

All relevant cholesterol and inflammation markers get better while in ketosis.

Ketosis delivers stunning results in hunger control, ability to fast, and blood sugar stabilization.

Not getting adequate salt on a ketogenic diet can make one feel hungry.

Insulin is responsible for storing glucose (sugar and amino acids) inside storage units such as cells. Its sister hormone glucagon is responsible for breaking things down, opening those storage units and releasing their contents as needed. Insulin is responsible for saving; glucagon is responsible for spending. Together their main job is to maintain blood sugar levels to keep the metabolic machinery running smoothly.

Without insulin, blood sugar would skyrocket, and the result would be coma and death. Without glucagon, blood sugar would plummet, and the result would be brain dysfunction, coma and death.

GERD and heartburn are no longer an issue when one removes the carbohydrate-based foods that increase stomach acid.

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia get better on a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat diet.

Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses get better with ketones.

What are my personal insights?

Being in the state of Ketosis minimizes inflammation which is the cause of many diseases.

What is the actionable next step?

Start with carbohydrate intake at 20 grams daily, then raise it by 5-10 grams daily for a week to determine the carb tolerance level.

Sources:

Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore and Eric Westman