The ketogenic diet is a hot trend among people who care about health, wellness and longevity. Among other things, this diet helps you lose weight quickly and improves your overall well-being.
But did you realize that keto diet comes with certain adverse effects?
A new breakthrough health supplement BETULEX™ contains scientifically proven ingredients ideally suited to minimize the side effects of the keto diet and to help you get the most out of it.
But let’s start with some basics.
How does the keto diet work?
The keto diet, or ketogenic diet, involves consuming foods that are low in carbohydrates and high in fat. This diet was developed in 1921 for the treatment of epilepsy (1). In the 21st century, the ketogenic diet has become popular for its ability to alter metabolism.
How does this happen? Modern man is used to getting energy mainly from carbohydrates. However, their excess in the diet can cause multiple metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, to name a few.
With a ketogenic diet, the volume of carbohydrates is sharply reduced, but the consumption of animal-based food increases. The main source of energy for your body is switched from carbs to so called ketone bodies - byproducts of fat breakdown formed in the liver. Your brain, heart, muscles, and other organs are now fueled by ketone bodies which provide higher energy efficiency compared to carbs! At the same time, your fat depots are reduced leading to overall positive health effects. This state of carbohydrate deficiency is called ketosis (2).
Keto diet: pros and cons
The ketogenic diet undoubtedly provides some fundamental benefits (3):
Helps to lose weight quickly and to suppress hunger, while maintaining muscle mass and sufficient calorie intake.
Improves overall well-being and boosts energy and mental clarity.
Solves metabolic problems associated with excessive consumption of carbohydrates: lowers blood glucose levels and increases insulin sensitivity.
But health-conscious consumers have to be aware of its drawbacks. First of all, there is a long and difficult period of adaptation. It's called the "keto flu" and can last up to 2–3 weeks (4). It feels exactly as it sounds: you get some “flu-like” symptoms such as fatigue, drowsiness, and other symptoms. This scares many people and makes them stop dieting.
There may be other keto diet side effects in the beginning, which disappear after a few weeks:
Mineral imbalance and dehydration occur which can cause muscle cramps and pounding heart. Therefore, it is recommended to control water consumption and supplement with minerals such as potassium.
The content of acetone in the blood rises, which is why breath, sweat, and the urine often acquire a characteristic odor.
However, one of the most serious issues for a lot of people – especially with pre-existing heart and metabolic conditions - could be the elevation of "bad" cholesterol levels. There are varying data on the effects of a ketogenic diet on cholesterol production (5). The general conclusion is that when switching to a new diet, the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) counts go up which may lead to the fatty plaque formation in the vessels.
Due to the fundamental role of cholesterol in cardiovascular and metabolic health, such a change can provoke cardiovascular pathologies, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and other conditions.
Betulin, a birch bark extract: a perfect complement to keto diet
Betulin extract, a major ingredient in the new nutraceutical BETULEX™, promotes multiple metabolic benefits.
But how can betulin compensate for keto side effects?
It works by modulating activity of the SREBP protein, one of the key players in regulating fat metabolism. Betulin suppresses the SREBP and effectively reduces the production of cholesterol, fatty acids, and triglycerides (6).
What does it mean exactly?
Betulin is a high cholesterol natural remedy. It can support your body in maintaining a healthy balance of “good” and “bad” cholesterols during the keto diet when more than usual amounts of fat are consumed.
What else can BETULEX™ do?
Very often, “bad” fats in your regular diet trigger metabolic processes that lead to reduction of the insulin sensitivity. Which means less glucose entering cells to fuel them, and more free glucose in your blood causing all kinds of problems and leading to Type II diabetes and other illnesses.
The keto diet is one way to break this chain by minimizing carbohydrates and replacing "bad" fats with healthy ones.
BETULEX™ complements keto diet through its effects on fat metabolism. Betulin, an active ingredient and a natural compound, reduces the synthesis of fatty acids and facilitates restoration of insulin sensitivity (7.8).
Conclusion
One of the side effects of the keto diet is elevation of “bad” cholesterol levels potentially leading to metabolic disorders.
BETULEX™ is a new science-backed nutraceutical that can complement your keto diet journey via very specific metabolic effects proven in multiple studies.
References
2. Paoli A, Bosco G, Camporesi EM, Mangar D. Ketosis, ketogenic diet and food intake control: a complex relationship. Frontiers in psychology. 2015 Feb 2;6:27. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00027
3. O'Neill B, Raggi P. The ketogenic diet: Pros and cons. Atherosclerosis. 2020 Jan 1;292:119-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.11.021
4. Bostock E, Kirkby KC, Taylor BV, Hawrelak JA. Consumer reports of “keto flu” associated with the ketogenic diet. Frontiers in nutrition. 2020 Mar 13;7:20. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.00020
5. Goldberg IJ, Ibrahim N, Bredefeld C, Foo S, Lim V, Gutman D, Huggins LA, Hegele RA. Ketogenic diets, not for everyone. Journal of clinical lipidology. 2021 Jan 1;15(1):61-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacl.2020.10.005
6. Tang JJ, Li JG, Qi W, Qiu WW, Li PS, Li BL, Song BL. Inhibition of SREBP by a small molecule, betulin, improves hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance and reduces atherosclerotic plaques. Cell metabolism. 2011 Jan 5;13(1):44-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2010.12.004
7. Gui YZ, Yan H, Gao F, Xi C, Li HH, Wang YP. Betulin attenuates atherosclerosis in apoE−/− mice by up-regulating ABCA1 and ABCG1. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica. 2016 Oct;37(10):1337-48. https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2016.46
8. Walker AK, Näär AM. SREBPs: regulators of cholesterol/lipids as therapeutic targets in metabolic disorders, cancers and viral diseases. Clinical Lipidology. 2012 Feb 1;7(1):27-36. https://doi.org/10.2217/clp.11.67
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