Ketogenic diets, which release carbohydrates to replace them with fats, have become extremely popular in recent years, which is best as the most popular diet of 2020. Although these diets are effective in treating epilepsy and are applicable in various other diseases . , the evidence for use as a tool for weight loss in healthy individuals is disputed.
In a recent study done on rats, researchers suggested that keto diets have a dramatic impact on people’s hearts. The results showed that the fat-causing changes in the rats’ hearts cause, which reduces the production of mitochondria and causes scar tissue. Their work has been published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.
The basis of ketogenic diets revolves around bringing the body into a state of ketosis by consuming mostly fats. Ketosis is a normal metabolic reaction that starts when the body does not have enough glucose to ensure that enough energy is supplied. The liver begins to convert fat molecules into ketones, which are released into the bloodstream and used as an alternative energy source.
As this process consumes fat molecules and lowers blood glucose and insulin levels, the diet has become popular among people looking for weight loss. The jury is still out on whether ketogenic diets are safe and effective for long-term weight goals, and many people swear by the success they have achieved, and others dispute it as an alternative to traditional weight loss methods.
In the latest piece of research, a collaboration between Fudan University, Shanghai and Sichuan University, Chengdu, the researchers delved deeper into the cellular impact of ketosis on the heart. Most ketone bodies formed during ketosis are β-OHB (70 percent of all ketones), which are thought to have several secondary benefits for the immune system. However, research has suggested that elevated β-OHB has been linked to poorer heart health, along with various aspects regarding correlations between ketosis and mortality.
The study involved three groups of six rats that fed a ketogenic diet, a normal diet or a calorie-restricted diet over a period of four months. After the four months, the rats’ hearts were analyzed to look for cellular changes between each diet. In the ketogenic group, the rats showed an increase in the ketone β-OHB levels and a consequent activation of the gene Sirt7, which inhibits the biogenesis of mitochondria. Furthermore, when this pathway was translated into human cultured cells, it led to apoptosis (cell death) of heart cells and fibrosis (scarring).
These results do not provide clear evidence that ketogenic diets harm the human heart, nor that all ketogenic diets should be discontinued. Cellular and animal models have been used and there are no data on the long-term effects of ketosis on human organs, requiring more extensive testing and clinical trials. However, it emphasizes an investigation path that must be followed to ensure that ketogenic diets are safe to use as weight loss. The authors call for further trials over a longer period of time, but suggest that ketogenic diets should be avoided to lose weight unless required by a health condition.