The science behind ketosis and metabolism has much to do with overall health. It can help boost weight loss, improve brain function, and even decrease inflammation. Essentially, ketosis is when your body burns fat instead of glucose as its primary fuel source. You can achieve this state by removing carbohydrate from your diet and replacing it with healthy fats.
Improved Brain Function
While ketones improve weight loss and energy, they may also benefit brain function. Our brains are exceptionally energetically demanding organs. They require a lot of energy to perform essential functions like memory and learning, which can be interrupted when we don’t have enough glucose for our cells. Because of this, some studies have shown that Keto supplements can help reduce the impaired brain energy metabolism seen in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A recent study found that people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) on a ketogenic diet showed improved verbal memory performance. The results could mean increased cognition and quality of life.
Improved Metabolism
A good metabolism can help you burn calories at a healthy rate, contributing to weight loss and overall well-being. Metabolism also plays a crucial role in helping you breathe, digest food, pump blood, grow cells, and repair tissue. Poor metabolic health can lead to various symptoms, including obesity, insulin resistance, cancer, and diabetes. In addition, it can affect your mood and energy levels. Ketones (or ketone bodies) are made in the liver when insufficient glucose fuels your body. They are released from your liver and enter your bloodstream to fuel your metabolism and support your muscles.
Weight Loss
A low-carb, ketogenic diet can help you lose weight and improve your well-being. The National Weight Control Registry, which follows people who have lost and maintained a 30-pound loss for at least one year, found that participants often report improved mental health and increased energy levels after reducing their carb intake to a few hundred grams a day. In addition, a low-carb diet is associated with improved mental health and cognitive function. One study showed that a six-week ketogenic diet helped improve symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.
Increased Energy
Ketones are a more efficient energy source than glucose. This means your brain gets more value for money, and you won’t feel sluggish, mentally or physically. When your body is in ketosis, it uses fat for fuel instead of glucose (the sugar that comes from carbohydrates). It decreases insulin levels and turns to its fat stores called ketones. Your body produces ketone naturally during prolonged fasting (e.g., overnight) or on a low-carb diet. In addition to their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier efficiently, they’re also antioxidants, protecting your brain cells from free radicals and oxidative stress. They also boost BDNF, a brain-derived neurotrophic factor that can improve memory and learning and help you stay sharp.
Reduced Inflammation
Inflammation is critical in protecting our body from infection and disease, but too much inflammation can cause severe problems for many people. Luckily, there are ways to reduce inflammation, and one of them is the ketogenic diet. On a ketogenic diet, you restrict carbohydrate intake and increase fat consumption, which causes your body to produce ketones in the liver. These ketones replace glucose as the primary source of energy for the body. In addition to providing anti-inflammatory benefits, the ketogenic diet is an effective treatment for several chronic diseases. This is because it can decrease inflammation, oxidative stress, and sensitivity within the nervous system.
