Can you trust every health news headline?
Can you trust every health news headline?
Maybe not, especially when it comes to recent reports on ketogenic diets. Some research suggested that the very low-carb regimen could cause organ damage and accelerated aging. Yikes! But hold on to your lettuce wraps; the details of the study tell a different story.
Ketogenic diets have surged in popularity recently as a result of their reported effectiveness in promoting weight loss, improving energy levels, enhancing mental clarity, and managing blood sugar. The idea behind ketogenic eating is to shift the body’s primary fuel source from carbohydrates to fats by drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing fat consumption. This metabolic state, called ketosis, encourages the body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose, which can result in rapid weight loss and other health benefits.
But is going keto causing more harm than good – and causing us to age prematurely? That was the conclusion of a paper published in the May 2024 issue of Science Advances and widely reported in the media last year. In the study, mice were fed a diet of roughly 90% fat, 9% protein, and 1% carbohydrates, which qualifies as ketogenic. At the end of the six-week trial, the mice on the low-carb, high-fat diet showed profound negative changes in markers of aging and vital organ health. It’s enough to make you put the bun back on your burger… until you read the fine print.
We’ve known for decades about the dangers of trans fat, and the scientific community is unanimous that it has no place in a healthy diet. There have even been national campaigns to remove trans fats from the food supply, and they have been banned in some countries. Nobody should be surprised that a diet made up almost entirely of Frankenfat would cause serious problems. It doesn’t reflect any potential health effects of a ketogenic diet when using healthier fats.
What would have been a better fat to use in the study or as part of a typical keto diet? Literally, almost anything! Cream, butter, olive oil, avocado oil, egg yolks, and, yes, lard are all naturally occurring fats. Even vegetable oil, while high in proinflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, is not as bad as its hydrogenated brethren.
Keto diets are so popular that diligent scientific studies should be conducted to ensure there are no downsides. Rigorous reviews of the existing science are surprisingly inconclusive as to whether keto diets are universally effective for long-term weight loss, but good science says they do appear to be safe.
