Children diagnosed with epilepsy are recommended special diets as part of a holistic approach alongside anti-epilepsy medication. Commonly known as keto diets, the diet is intended to be similar to that of phases of fasting in an effort to help control seizures in patients with epilepsy. The diet has gained popularity due to the claimed weight control benefits. This has created a separate segment of users, apart from new products that are intended to supplement or mimic the keto diet. The following subsections offer information about the Keto pill’s side effects and will help users identify, prevent and mitigate the possible undesirable effects of keto pills.
Overview of the keto diet
An understanding of the keto diet is essential to knowing more about keto pills. This will help to learn all about how the diet is intended to work and how the pills will supplement or replace the diet. The keto diet is essentially a special diet with a relatively high proportion of fats, just about enough levels of protein, and a relatively low amount of carbohydrates. The diet is designed to have effects that are similar to fasting, wherein the body begins producing more ketones. When the body is deprived of food, fat is burned in place of carbohydrates, and when the main source of energy is fat, the body produces more ketones.
Normal diet and actions in the body
Typically, normal diets trigger the usual processes of converting food into glucose, and this moves around the body, ending up being utilized as a source of energy by various cells. The brain also depends on glucose for energy. When the levels of carbohydrates are lesser than desired, the liver begins to process fats and this process actually delivers energy in the form of ketones and fatty acids to the brain. The whole idea of keto diets was initially for the purpose of increasing blood levels of ketones so as to bring about a reduction in seizures.
Keto diets and actions
As mentioned above, the keto diet typically contains protein in levels that are necessary for growth in the body and for repair processes. The keto diet essentially contains the required number of calories to support the ideal weight of the individual, correlated to age and height. Most keto diets contain a ratio of 4:1 (fats: carbohydrates & proteins). This includes products such as butter, cream, and olive oil among others while the food products with high carbs that are recommended to be avoided include grains, bread, pasta, and sugar among others.
Effectiveness of the keto diet
It is now time to learn if the keto diet is effective as a weight loss option, and this will help understand how the keto pills will help individuals looking to reduce weight. The keto diet has been proved to be effective in helping children with epilepsy, and it serves the purpose of a special diet for children with seizures. However, the keto diet was not recommended for adults initially due to the lesser food intake and nutrients in the special diet. Studies conducted later have revealed that the special diet actually helped adults despite the apprehensions of ineffectiveness. Therefore, the overall efficacy of keto diets on adults can also be considered good enough and worth trying.
It is necessary to note that the results of keto diets may not be uniform among all users. A section of users may experience better results, while others may not necessarily get the desired or expected result. There are various factors at play that are responsible for results, and this depends on the metabolic health of the individual. The diet is also known to be hard to follow for a particular period, as it restricts the intake of certain food products. In an era where time is at a premium, certain food products are the easiest and most convenient options, and replacing this with other food products for a long time may be difficult to follow for certain individuals. When the diets are stopped due to one of many possible reasons, there is the possibility of the individual regaining lost weight rapidly.
Keto pills side effects: an overview
With the above information, it is now time to understand more about the side effects of keto pills. A better understanding of the side effects of the pills is possible when the effects of the diet are explained in detail. By virtue of being a special diet, there is the possibility of undesired effects. This is mainly because special diets, are unlike normal healthy diets, and involve either a reduction or an increase in the proportion of certain nutrients and food products. This may deliver desired outcomes and may also end up causing undesirable effects.
Commonly reported effects of keto diets
The diet comes with the possibility of short-term side effects such as the keto flu, with clear indicative symptoms including fatigue, feelings of nausea, and headache. This is attributed to the drastic change in diets, wherein individuals accustomed to consuming grains and added sugars as part of typical diets, end up consuming lower levels of carbohydrates in diets. This transition triggers the above condition, with additional symptoms such as insomnia, vomiting sensations, possible constipation, and feelings of dizziness. Individuals performing exercises may experience a dip in endurance levels due to the lower intake of carbs. This effect is relatively short-term in nature and will resolve within weeks. There are simple remedies to cope with this effect, including the consumption of adequate fluids and electrolytes.
How to mitigate the long-term effects of the keto diet
As the diet essentially involves curtailing the intake of certain nutrients, there is the risk of long-term health risks or effects that are linked to the nutrient. The diet involves cutting down on certain products in an effort to limit carbohydrate intake. However, those products are also likely to contain other nutrients that are essential. By cutting down on the intake of these products, the level of other nutrients is also likely to reduce, thereby resulting in possible health complications. It is, therefore, necessary for individuals on the diet to ensure that there is an intake of alternate sources of other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. The diet needs to be modified so as to meet the requirements of keto diet changes, while also ensuring that the intake of other nutrients is not compromised.
Risks of altered diets
Individuals consuming diets that are rich in fat with high levels of protein may end up with certain health complications. For instance, the formation of kidney stones is probability in certain individuals while others may develop fatty liver, medical known as hepatic steatosis. In addition to this, there is also the possibility of individuals developing hypoproteinemia, which refers to reduced levels of protein in the blood. Similarly, reduced carbohydrate intake could trigger higher levels of LDL and this, in turn, could expose the individual to a higher risk of heart ailments. Other studies also show that there is the possibility of increased risk of type 2 diabetes among individuals on protein and low carbs sourced from animals.
Mitigating effects of keto diets and pills
As mentioned above, there is a need to mitigate and prevent the possible undesirable effects of the diet and the pill supplements. This includes intake of adequate vitamins and minerals from other food sources and consumption of healthy fat products. As the diet expects the individual to consume more fat, it is necessary to choose the source of fat wisely, such as olive oil, oily fish, etc. It is necessary to avoid saturated fats and all processed food products. As processed food contains fat, it may become an easy choice for individuals on the diet. However, this is to be avoided as long-term consumption of saturated fat can cause serious health complications.
Another important piece of advice for individuals on keto diets is to slowly consume more carbohydrates after attaining the desired goal of weight reduction. This is to be done gradually, along with other lifestyle changes such as exercising and changes in diet.
Understanding the link between keto diets and keto pills
Now that we have listed enough information about the keto diet, it is time to look at keto pills and how they are linked to the diet. Keto pills are essentially supplements that are the exogenous form of ketone, slightly different from endogenous ketones – which refers to the body’s natural state of ketosis. Endogenous ketones refer to the body’s production of ketones by the liver as a replacement for glucose. Keto pills deliver the ketones externally, from chemically stable molecules. This is intended to help individuals achieve similar results as that of keto diets, without having to follow the strict regimen in dietary modification or intake. The pills are known to bring about a reduction in appetite, and this may be one of the biggest reasons for their popularity of the pills.
There is a slight difference between a keto diet and keto pills in the manner in which the process works. For instance, keto diets deliver nutrition, and involve a change in diet, helping the body to achieve a different metabolic state, whereas in pills this is more of a shortcut, where carb intake is not reduced. The body’s production of ketones is linked to the levels of ketone in the blood, and when individuals take keto pills, the ketone levels in the blood increase, thereby causing the body’s natural production of ketones to be curtailed. This may delay the desired outcome of ketosis, and thereby the use of fat in the body as an energy source may also be affected.
The use of keto pills may require other changes, such as fasting, and this may not be possible for all users. Experts recommend that keto pills will work only when taken as holistically, and may not perform as claimed when taken alone. This is a good option as it is likely to reduce the possibility of the keto pill’s side effects in addition to delivering the desired outcomes of the pills. Individuals with certain pre-existing health conditions are to avoid the diet, such as those diagnosed with a pancreatic disease, thyroid problems, liver ailments, and gallbladder disease.
Education: Bachelor’s in Journalism with a minor in Nutrition from Northwestern University. Experience: 15 years as a health journalist, writing for major publications like The New York Times and TIME, with a focus on diet, exercise, and chronic disease management.
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