Metabolic and Mental Health
Here’s Why I Choose Ketosis as a Lifestyle Habit.
My purpose is cellular, metabolic, neurological, and mental health. I answer a frequently asked question about the long-term effects of ketosis.
Purpose of the Article
In this article, I answer a specific and interesting question from a reader in an article titled Three Steps to Melt Visceral Fat, Enhance Mood, and Lower Health Risks.
The question by Leslie LeBrun is, “Just wondering if keeping your body in a constant state of ketosis has any detrimental effects? Also, I love fruit, and it is so important nutritionally- can it be somehow included in the daily diet?”
As this is a commonly asked question and the matter is important in ketogenic lifestyle communities, I share my perspectives based on experience. I read hundreds of papers on ketosis. However, I don’t cite them in this practical piece.
This article is not health advice but aims to serve as information and awareness for readers interested in long-term ketosis. First, I will provide a brief background for those who don’t know about ketosis.
What is ketosis, and why does it matter?
Ketosis is a biological process embedded in metabolic pathways for survival. It occurs when the body senses a shortage of glucose or overall energy to supply the body with additional energy.
More precisely, when the glycogen stores get emptied, the liver starts producing ketone bodies as alternative energy for the needs of some organs.
So the primary purpose of ketosis is to create alternative energy for the organs to survive, as glucose is the primary energy source for some organs.
Most organs, including the brain and heart, can use ketones happily, especially β-hydroxybutyrate, as an energy source. However, some organs, such as the liver, cannot use ketones.
Thus, the body must create glucose using the gluconeogenesis process to supply the required energy even during the ketosis process. Even if some people don’t eat carbs for years like me, the body can still create glucose from amino acids and even fat molecules.
Besides, the bloodstream will always keep some ketones. They rise as the glucose decreases. In addition to β-hydroxybutyrate, the body creates two other ketone bodies: acetoacetate and acetone. However, the body produces them in fewer amounts.
Even though ketosis has many proven benefits, it might not suit everyone, especially those with specific medical conditions.
We can initiate ketosis in various ways. From my experience, intermittent fasting is an efficient way. However, long-term fasting is ideal for those who want to stay deep in ketosis, such as having three nmol β-hydroxybutyrate in the bloodstream.
Ketogenic and fast-mimicking diets can help with low or mild ketosis. In addition, MCT oil and ketone salts can be used as supplements. They are publicly available without needing a prescription.
However, as MCT oil might have side effects, we need to be cautious while using it. In addition, even though ketone salts are publicly available and considered safe, there are no long-term studies yet documenting the risks of ketone salts. Thus, we need to be careful while supplementing.
From my experience, natural ketosis, especially nutritional one, is a valuable process for maintaining a healthy body and brain.
Therefore, I chose a ketogenic diet (high fat consuming 200 grams a day) with a time-restricted eating regimen to reap the benefits of ketosis for cellular, metabolic, and mental health.
Ketosis has been an effective tool for me to melt visceral fat and keep and healthy weight with improved mental health. Some people enter ketosis to prevent neurogenerative diseases and some longevity reasons.
I prefer staying in ketosis longer as I get older because ketosis gives me the ability to power mitochondria in aged individuals. A critical review in 2017 found that ketone bodies mimic the life span, extending properties of caloric restriction.
Some fat-adapted athletes love ketosis because they gain unlimited energy from their fat stores compared to the little power held in the glycogen stores. I witnessed bodybuilders and athletes doing heavy work on an empty stomach with high performance.
Readers who want to learn more about ketosis might check this article I posted before: Why and How to Enter Ketosis via Lifestyle Choices.
Why I don’t Believe Ketosis Has Harmful Effects on Healthy People
I start this important section by asking six critical questions based on empirical evidence on the human body.
Question 1: First of all, at the highest level, if ketosis was a harmful act, why would our bodies evolve to make it part of our metabolism?
Nature developed to keep us surviving, as the food was not always available to humans. So, ketosis is part of our evolution.
Question 2: Secondly, if ketones are dangerous for the brain, why does the brain use BHB as effective as glucose and even get happier and healthier with this alternative energy source?
The brain loves ketosis and functions better with ketones, especially the parts that get glucose impaired due to underlying neurological damages, such as in Alzheimer’s patients.
Question 3: Thirdly, if ketones are dangerous, how can the body use them as a signaling molecule and reduce tissue inflammation?
There is significant evidence of the anti-inflammatory effects of ketosis on the body and brain.
Question 4: Fourthly, if ketones were dangerous, why would the brain create more BDNF ((Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) with the contribution of ketosis?
As I introduced in an article titled Rewire the Brain by Activating BDNF & β-Hydroxybutyrate, several studies indicate that ketosis can enhance BDNF. I also provided a practical article titled Increase BDNF with Five Lifestyle Habits.
Question 5: If ketosis was dangerous, why would it reduce seizures and give a better life to epilepsy patients?
Since the 1920s, medical professionals in various parts of the world have used ketosis as a treatment method for epilepsy. Therefore, ketogenic diets became popular.
Question 6: And lastly, if ketones are dangerous, why would they have an epigenetic effect on hormonal balance, such as insulin sensitivity and leptin receptiveness?
Ketones can unlock some genes.
Additionally, ketosis is now considered a risk management tool and even potential therapy for some cancers, as I documented in an article titled Intermittent Fasting and Keto Diet for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.
From my experience and observations, Keto Diets and Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle Tick the Boxes of Health Goals.
These diets and eating regimens, of course, might create some side effects, but it is possible to address them, as I explained in the following two articles:
Improve Sleep in Ketogenic Diets and Intermittent Fasting in Five Steps
My Specific Response to Leslie’s Question
Unfortunately, there are no clinical studies on the long-term effects of ketosis. Without this knowledge, there are three logical options. Ketosis might be good, harmful, or neutral in the long term. They are all possible.
However, I believe long-term ketosis is good for healthy people based on my experience, observations, reviews, and intuition if they choose ketosis as a lifestyle. My belief is not set in cement, though. I‘m prepared to change my thoughts if I see long-term clinical studies proving ketosis's harmful effects.
However, not everyone is optimistic like me. Some people are highly pessimistic, speculating it might cause diseases in the long run as it puts the body into a stressful situation.
Ketosis certainly creates stress for the body, but the body quickly adapts to it by creating a hormetic effect giving many health benefits in the long run.
A healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing. However, closed-minded skepticism does not bring any value to individuals and society.
Currently, those skeptics have no evidence apart from creating hypotheses based on their beliefs. For example, the Internet is full of speculations, especially for those who love refined carbs without understanding the function of ketosis for the body and mind.
Most of those claims do not make sense to me as they compare apples with oranges. Some studies sponsored by food companies selling sugar products are against it naturally. But how credible and reliable are those studies?
Let me provide my perspective, but my points are not health advice.
I made ketosis a lifestyle choice for personal reasons, as it provided the best balance for my metabolic and mental health, improving my cellular health.
For example, through ketosis, I managed to initiate autophagy, clearing the garbage from the body and keeping my cells healthier and younger.
Here Is What Happened When I Experimentally Initiated Autophagy Decades Ago
Over two decades of deep ketosis and mild ketosis for another decade before, I did not experience any side effects. I also obtained testimonies from many people in health communities who have been in ketosis for a lifetime by choice.
I met hundreds of people like me who chose one meal a day as a lifestyle and refrain from carbs getting their energy from healthy fats. But, of course, these people are not the majority.
This does not mean such a lifestyle would suit everyone. We are all different. Ketosis might not be suitable for everyone or even desirable for some people.
I also know ketosis is unsuitable for underlying health conditions such as type I and some people living with type II diabetes.
For example, these types of people might get ketoacidosis, a dangerous health condition. Therefore, ketosis requires support from qualified healthcare professionals for people with health conditions and beginners.
Here is the big picture.
I read about many cases of excessive refined carbs leading to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes leading to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases affecting millions of people. But I haven’t read any cases about long-term ketosis causing similar health conditions.
Constant ketosis is not possible unless we refrain from food entirely.
I‘d like to clarify a misperception of ketosis. People who follow stringent ketogenic diets and intermittent fasting regimens are believed that they are always in ketosis.
In reality, everyone has ketones in their body. Ketosis is only noticeable when glycogen stores entirely get emptied. As I tested my ketone levels rigorously multiple times a day before and after meals, I understood when the body entered and left ketosis.
The only time for me to be in deep ketosis was when I performed long-term fasting for two to seven days. During that time, I was in full ketosis. However, I don’t fast like that every day, and not many people do either.
From my experience, even people like me who don’t eat any carbs and eat only one meal a day still get out of ketosis at least a few hours after the main meal when the daily insulin secretion happens.
My 25% protein takes me out of ketosis after dinner, even though 75% of my calories come from healthy fats. So even the most strict dieters like me can get out of ketosis for a while.
Effects of Vegetables and Fruits on Ketosis.
Leslie asked only about fruits, but other readers asked me a lot about the effects of vegetables on ketosis.
Even though I don’t consume fruits and vegetables for personal reasons, I am not against them. In fact, I encourage my loved ones to consume both vegetables and fruits and prepare their meals with pleasure.
I believe plants are great for many people unless they have food intolerance like me. I used to consume a lot of vegetables and berries. My reason for stopping plants was not ketosis but their impact on digestive health.
Green vegetables have negligible carbs, so it is possible to stay in ketosis even if one consumes several cups daily.
Some fruits, especially berries, have low sugar, providing dense nutrients. So people in ketogenic diets include low glycemic index fruits such as berries in their diet.
Many people on ketogenic diets include at least one serving of fruit and multiple servings of vegetables daily. They still stay in nutritional ketosis, which is relatively mild.
I also met vegan friends who can achieve ketosis in pure plant-based diets. I documented my experiences in the following two articles.
Keto-Vegan 101: How to Benefit from Ketosis in Plant-Based Diets
After I Defeated a Teenage Rock Climber, His Vegan Mum Asserted I Was on Steroids.
Conclusions and Takeaways
As ketosis is a natural function in human-triggered based on specific activities such as reduced glucose, I see it as a valuable tool for health and well-being.
Based on my experience and reviews, I believe that any level of ketosis (except for ketoacidosis) is helpful. The level depends on our needs and goals. As I get older, I see more need for ketosis myself. It is a personal preference.
I see ketosis as a lifestyle. It suits some people’s needs and desires but might not for others. Some people enjoy the excitement and some bliss.
Sugar used to give me a sudden rush of excitement, but ketosis gives me continuous bliss. I prefer serenity and contentment over excitement. It is a personal choice.
Even though some people deny it, sugar addiction is real and well-documented in the literature. Sugar addiction significantly risks mental health, affecting the dopamine system. Ketosis is one of my reasons for addressing sugar addiction naturally.
One of the concerns of longer-term ketosis is starvation. It is possible to go into ketosis via starvation, but ketosis does not necessarily indicate starvation. It is possible to enter ketosis by getting all essential micronutrients and extra calories from fat. Therefore, nutritional ketosis is a lifestyle for millions of people.
As ketosis contributed to my cellular, metabolic, neurological, and mental health, I made it a lifestyle choice, making the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting supportive habits to maintain ketosis.
Despite all, if I see a long-term clinical study proving ketosis as dangerous for healthy people (most unlikely from my experience), I will stop entering deep ketosis. Health is an important life matter, not an academic and egotistical matter.
Here’s How a Mature-Age Couple Reversed Diabetes and Trimmed Their Bodies with Lifestyle Habits.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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