How to Maximize Your Health On a Keto Diet – 8 Nutrients to Monitor

The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, has become one of the most popular diets in recent years for its ability to enhance fat loss, increase energy, improve athletic performance, and control appetite. But despite these benefits, research and decades of clinical experience have found the diet to increase the risk for multiple nutrient deficiencies. Read on to see what nutrients you should be watching to maximize your health on a ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is more popular than ever. The diet is extremely low in carbohydrates (usually less than 50 g/day), moderate in protein, and very high in fat. “Ketogenic” refers to the ability of the diet to generate high levels of compounds called ketones that are used as the main energy source instead of glucose . The term was first coined by Dr. Russ Wilder of the Mayo Clinic in 1921, who used the diet to successfully treat epileptic children. However, with the introduction of effective anticonvulsant drugs, the ketogenic, or keto, diet fell out of favor with doctors. It was and still is used to successfully treat epileptic patients who don’t respond to drugs or surgery [ R , R ]. The diet has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent decades. Reported benefits range from weight loss and improved blood sugar control to increased energy and mental clarity. Research has backed some of these claims: the keto diet is more effective for weight loss, reducing blood sugar levels, and improving cholesterol and triglycerides than high-protein, calorie-restricted, and even low-fat diets (one RCT of 25 participants, one randomized crossover trial of 17 participants, three RTs of 159 participants) [ R , R , R , R , R ]. Beyond weight loss, the diet’s therapeutic potential has also been studied in type 2 diabetes , heart […]

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