New Delhi: The Keto Diet has become one of the most popular trends in the Gym world. The diet which took the world by storm with the popularity that top athletes and even the rough and tough Navy Seals soldiers swear by it. Recently it came back in the limelight when in a study it was found that the diet increases memory, reduce mortality.
Two new studies, both conducted in mice, support each other’s findings: that the ketogenic, or “keto,” diet may improve memory in old age as well as prolong lifespan.
The ketogenic diet, which is more commonly known as the keto diet, aims to reduce carbohydrate intake in favor of consuming more fat and sufficient protein.
Recently, this diet type has started to garner more attention; studies have variously linked it with weight lossbenefits, adjuvant cancer therapy, and some epilepsy treatments.

And two new independently conducted studies now suggest that the keto diet might help to improve memory and reduce mortality. One study – led by Drs. Eric Verdin and John Newman, both from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, CA – looked at the effect of the keto diet on aging mice.
The second study – led by Dr. John Ramsey, from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine – looked at adult mice and had similar findings about the impact of the keto diet, with the addition that it may also improve strength and coordination. Both papers were published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Working of the Study:
Researchers explain that restriction of calories without causing malnutrition leads to increase in the lifespan and the metabolism changes include beta oxidation leading to breakdown of fats compared to glycolysis or break down of sugars. This means that the body survives on the ketones that are produced on metabolism rather than sugars.
For these two studies the researchers wanted to mimic the changes in metabolism that may be caused by low carbohydrate intake and check if it increases the lifespan of the mice. They too special strains of mice for their experiments termed C57BL/6 mice that were fed with three types of diets in three different groups - ketogenic, low-carbohydrate, or control diet when they were around 12 months of age. 
Some of these mice were allowed to live out their normal lifespan while some were tested for their functions and physiological changes after 1 or 14 months of the diet introduction.
The memory functions and health of the mice were checked using various tasks such as running wheels, mazes, balance beams etc. The aged mice were also tested for their heart function and gene regulation changes using RNA sequencing analysis. 
Results showed that ketogenic diets significantly increased the lifespan of the mice when compared to those on normal regular diets. Further the aged mice that were given ketogenic diet showed a higher protein acetylation level in their livers.
Ketogenic diet involves fasting and extremely low carbohydrates in diet. This stimulates the liver to produce ketones that can provide energy for the body and its organs especially the brain. This can be seen both during fasting as well as during exercising.
So what exactly is the Diet?
Keto Diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. The idea is to drastically reduce carbohydrate intake in the body and replace the carbohydrates with fats. This process puts the body in a state of ketosis. During ketosis, our body burns fat for energy efficiently. Fat is also turned into ketones in the liver, which also supplies energy to brain. Here is a list of some benefits that this diet provides.

 
Benefits of the Diet:
1) Low levels of Insulin (type 2 diabetes): Ketosis results in lower levels of insulin in the body. It’s beneficial for people who have type 2 diabetes because they don’t have to worry about excessive blood sugar levels. When insulin levels are brought down, then beneficial hormones such as the growth hormones are released in the body.
2) Controlled hunger levels: In a state of ketosis, when the body is functioning on high fat, high protein and low-carb diet, your appetite goes down. A high carb diet on the other hand tends to increase your hunger levels. Therefore it’s not necessary to be hungry or to consume food at regular intervals when you are on the diet.
3) Weight loss: One of the major benefits of this diet is weight loss. Keto diet retrains the body to use fat as an energy source. When you use carbs as an energy source then, when your body runs out carbs or when carbs are not consumed, your body starts to crave carbs.
4) Low blood pressure: Low carb diets such as keto diets are incredibly useful in decreasing your blood pressure. However, if you are on any medication for blood pressure then do consult a doctor first. Keto diet also reduces your dependency on blood pressure medications.
5) Low cholesterol and inflammation: On keto diet one tends to consume less sugar creating food, this tends to reduce the load on your arteries and also reduces inflammation. Cholesterol level in the body drops as the glucose level goes down.
6) Increased brain function: High carb diets tend to make your brain foggy. Keto diet increases brain function such as memory recall, and clear thinking.
Things to Keep in Mind before Opting for Keto:
1) It takes time for your body to adjust to keto diet as it goes through a metabolic shift. You might face dehydration, fatigue and brain fog due to water loss that happens in ketosis. Make sure you hydrate yourself.
2) Preferably centre your diet around healthy unsaturated fats since the diet is based on high fat consumption.
3) Even though the diet focuses on low carbs, don’t totally cut them off. Cutting them off completely means you might face micronutrient deficiencies. Consume carbs in moderation.

References:
thinslimfoods.com
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www.thehealthpilot.org
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