Low carb or ketogenic diets can be a useful way to help improve metabolic parameters, energy metabolism, mental health, and have shown to boost hormone health both for males and females. Hormone health is a big topic these days because we are not just talking about estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, but the hormone of the decade will now be insulin and glucagon, thanks to the discovery of drugs which mimic GLP-1 in our gut. In a world where health is either misunderstood or overly abused, how does someone really get metabolically healthy in every sense of the word? One metabolic parameter may improve one aspect of health but there is still a symphony of cellular processes that takes place in our body. When it comes to improving metabolic health, we need to take a top down approach to figuring this out.
But before I dive into the specifics and mechanisms of action of metabolic health, what exactly does being metabolically healthy truly mean? Metabolic health is an umbrella term for everything that constitutes within our body. Metabolic health can be anything from how you metabolize food to how well your pancreas works, or how well your brain can uptake fuel. It’s a combination of processes in the body that require energy and how well that energy is being produced in the body. Metabolic health constitutes sexual, adrenal, thyroid, gut, hormones, cancer prevention, diabetes, neurological diseases and everything under the sun. I know from experience that disease is not just a lack of health, but all diseases are a result of some form of metabolic dysfunction. If I could write a blog on metabolic health, we would have to include every system in the body down to its cellular and atomic component.
So why and how do low carb/ketogenic diets play a role? Low carb and ketogenic diets tick all the boxes in terms of improvements of metabolic health. Ketogenic diets, in my opinion, shine over all the other diets because as much as we have research other diets i.e. vegans, vegetarians, Mediterranean, and the blue zones, we know the ketogenic diet has the ability to change gene expression. This means that it can go down and change the basics of survival. I wouldn’t go so far to say that all diets do not provide some form of protection; however the ketogenic diet provides some resemblance of an ancestral way of eating, with periodic phases of eating and fasting. Incorporating some time restricted eating along with your low-carb lifestyle can prove beneficial in many aspects but most importantly in the production of ketone bodies, which in itself are anti-inflammatory. Time restricted feeding or Intermittent Fasting should only be incorporated when cortisol is balanced.
Some of the key factors around metabolic health which we should all be aiming for:
1. Blood Sugar Regulation: The body’s ability to regulate blood glucose levels within a normal range, primarily through the action of insulin. How quickly your pancreas responds to the circulating insulin also plays a role in blood sugar regulation.
2. Insulin Sensitivity: The responsiveness of cells to insulin, which allows glucose to enter cells and be used for energy production.
3. Lipid Metabolism: The processing and utilization of fats (lipids) in the body, including the synthesis, storage, and breakdown of triglycerides, cholesterol, and other lipid molecules.
4. Energy Balance: The balance between energy intake (calories consumed through food and beverages) and energy expenditure (calories burned through metabolic processes and physical activity), which influences body weight and composition.
5. Inflammation: The presence of chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body, which is associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
6. Blood Pressure Regulation: The maintenance of normal blood pressure levels, which is important for cardiovascular health and overall metabolic function.
7. Hormonal Regulation: The proper functioning of hormones involved in metabolism, appetite regulation, and energy balance, such as leptin, ghrelin, thyroid hormones and sex hormones.
8. Mind-Body Connection: The most undervalued and overlooked, but maintaining healthy levels of a stress response and being able to shut off that stress response can play a huge impact on the heart and metabolic health.
9. Gut Microbiome: Your gut microbiome should work for you and not against you. Our gut microbiome, is responsible for the synthesis of vitamins, minerals and neurotransmitters. Thanks to the research around the gut-brain connection, we know that our gut and brains are sending more messages amongst each other than any other part of the body.
It is important to understand that diet, exercise, lifestyle factors and supplementation target all metabolic parameters of health. Whether your goal is to avoid cancer, cardiovascular disease or neurological disease, the above nine parameters are just a start. We then move onto the play of genetics, hormones and gut microbiome. Knowing your genetic history is key. What is measurable, can then be changed. The knowledge of what your predispositions are and how they can be manipulated through diet and supplementation, is what makes my job interesting on a daily basis. If you are already on a low-carb diet and are ready to move onto a full ketogenic diet, I would be happy to assist with this. Honestly, seeing ketone production in my clients is my biggest form of joy.
Eat nutrient dense, exercise, get your sunshine in and get your sleep. I’ll see you next week!