It’s hard to skip the ketogenic diet if you’re serious regarding nutrition. This way of eating, which is gaining more and more followers, involves betting on a diet high in fat while significantly reducing carbohydrate consumption. Concretely, increase fat and we limit the sugar. If this diet has become popular, it is because it turns out very effective for slimming.
It’s no wonder: usually, the body gets its energy from the carbohydrates consumed during the day. On a ketogenic diet, carbohydrates are extremely limited, the body begins to dip into carbohydrate stores stored in the muscles and liver called reserves of “glycogen“. The significant weight loss at the start of the ketogenic diet is largely a loss of water.
A new study warns us once morest this diet, however. Presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific session with the World Congress of Cardiology, it suggests that this diet may be associated with higher blood levels of bad cholesterol and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers also mention the risk of chest pain (angina pectoris), blockage of arteries, heart attacks and strokes.
Ketogenic diet: it can block the coronary arteries
“Our study found that adopting a low-carb, high-fat diet was associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol – or “bad” cholesterol – and at a higher risk of heart disease,” said Iulia Iatan, MD, Ph.D., attending physician-scientist at the Healthy Heart Program Prevention Clinic, St. Paul’s Hospital and the Center for Heart Lung Innovation at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and lead author of the study.
“To our knowledge, our study is one of the first to examine the association between this type of diet and cardiovascular outcomes.”
The study was conducted on 70 684 participants. They were asked to complete a food questionnaire and take a blood test to estimate their cholesterol level. The results showed that people who followed a low-carb, high-fat diet had higher levels of bad cholesterol.
After more than 11 years of follow-up – and following taking into account other risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and smoking – researchers confirmed that people following a ketogenic diet had more twice as likely to suffer from cardiovascular disorders serious, “such as blockages in arteries that needed to be opened with stenting procedures, heart attack, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease.”
If the ketogenic diet seems to increase bad cholesterol levels, it’s probably because of its high fat content. When you eat a lot of fat, you will possibly increase his cholesterol level.
The results of the study also show that not everyone reacts the same way on the ketogenic diet.
“On average, cholesterol levels tend to increase on this diet, but some people’s cholesterol levels may stay the same or decrease, depending on several underlying factors,” said one of the scientists.
Ketogenic diet: how does it work?
This scheme consists of limit carbs such as bread, pasta, rice and other cereals, baked goods, potato products such as fries and crisps, and carbohydrate-rich fruits and vegetables and vegetables.
Proponents of a ketogenic diet generally suggest limiting carbohydrates to 10% of total daily caloriesprotein at 20% to 30% and getting 60% to 80% of daily calories from fat.
Discover in pictures what is found in a plate of the ketogenic diet.
