The ketogenic diet has been gaining more and more popularity as people become more and more aware of its benefits. In addition to its known effects on weight loss and diabetes management, the ketogenic diet has shown remarkable effects in treating several other diseases and medical conditions.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has been used as a medical intervention for almost 100 years. It has been used to treat epilepsy in children and also as a way of inducing quick fasting for weight loss.
Strong evidence shows the positive effects of the ketogenic diet on some common diseases, including osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, and more. This blog post will discuss the possible benefits of the ketogenic diet for arthritis.
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet — also called the keto diet — is a low carbohydrate, the high-fat diet used to treat epilepsy and other medical disorders. The diet is very similar to the Atkins diet but with a less restrictive approach to food choices.
On the ketogenic diet, patients are allowed only a small carbohydrate — typically just 15 to 20 grams per day — and must consume large amounts of healthy fats, including avocados, olive oil, and non-processed meats. Unlike other diets that encourage a low-carbohydrate “ketogenic” approach to weight loss, the ketogenic diet is not intended to be a long-term dieting strategy.
Rather, it is a short-term diet used to achieve immediate results. The diet is most often used in patients who are sick enough to be in the hospital and cannot eat regular meals. In addition to being a quick way to lose weight, the ketogenic diet can have many other benefits.
Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet for Arthritis
Like other low carbohydrate diets, the ketogenic diet can help reduce blood glucose levels, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidative stress, and reduce inflammation.
These improvements in diabetic symptoms, metabolic syndrome, and inflammation can help improve a variety of common diseases, including osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. A ketogenic diet can also promote weight loss due to its increased satiety, which reduces hunger and food cravings.
The Ketogenic Diet and Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, affecting more than 33 million people in the U.S. alone. OA is a degenerative disease that occurs when the protective cartilage in your joints erodes, causing bone-on-bone contact. The fingers, hips, knees, and spine joints are most likely to be affected.
The ketogenic diet has been found to have a significant effect on the disease. A keto diet may help reduce pain and inflammation and encourage cartilage restoration.
While there is not much definitive research on the subject, the diet appears to be safe, safe, that you can’t die from it, and there is no known contraindication.
It’s so safe it can even be prescribed for children with epilepsy. There are a few reasons why this diet may help treat OA.
The Ketogenic Diet and Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a condition that results from a combination of specific cardiovascular disease risk factors, including obesity, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and high blood sugar.
It is a serious medical condition that increases an individual’s risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The ketogenic diet has been found to have an especially strong effect on metabolic syndrome.
Keto diets have been shown to normalize blood pressure and blood sugar levels, reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and promote weight loss, which are favorable changes in metabolic syndrome.
The Ketogenic Diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Like metabolic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis is a common medical condition that arises due to increased oxidative stress.
A ketogenic diet has been found to reduce oxidative stress, improve lipid profile and decrease the production of inflammatory cytokines, all of which can lead to reduced joint damage and pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate diet that can help improve many diseases and conditions, including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. The diet is very safe and rarely causes adverse side effects.
The benefits of the ketogenic diet for arthritis are currently under investigation and are not yet conclusive. However, a low carbohydrate diet can significantly impact several medical conditions and diseases.
The ketogenic diet can help with weight loss, reduce oxidative stress, and reduce inflammation and pain in the joints.
