Ketogenic Diets: Good or Bad?

Katrina J. Breece, MS

Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Better Life Carolinas

Ketogenic diets have been a hot topic in recent years, but it first gained popularity in the early 20th century for treatment of seizures in children. In present day, it is popular among various groups with or without serious medical conditions and is primarily used to lose body fat. Many medical experts feel that this approach is not healthy and remains controversial. The data demonstrates that ketogenic diets can not only improve your health but may be the ideal approach for fat-loss. In fact, ketogenic diets could produce significant declines in obesity and improve the projections for the current obesity epidemic we are experiencing, which is only predicted to continue. This is especially true when ketogenic diets are combined with intermittent fasting (IF). Many studies have confirmed benefits to improved disease outcome by using healthy ketogenic diets. These findings are even more dramatic when combined with IF. A summary of research data, as well as case studies, that support the use of appropriate ketogenic diets is presented.