widely advertised as a safe way to shed pounds, going keto actually presents serious health risks to pregnant women, people with kidney disease and almost everyone else, according to a sweeping review of research into the trendy menu modifier.
the review,
published in the journal frontiers in nutrition
, found the long-term risks of the high-fat, low-carb diet — including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and alzheimer’s — don’t come close to outweighing any weight loss or other health benefits touted by eager advertisers.
“the typical keto diet is a disease-promoting disaster,”
said lee crosby
, lead review author and nutrition education program manager at physicians committee for responsible medicine. “loading up on red meat, processed meat and saturated fat and restricting carbohydrate-rich vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains is a recipe for bad health.”
ketogenic diets typically promote foods that are high in fat, moderate in protein and low in carbohydrates in an effort to induce a metabolic state known as ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs. they have been touted as an effective way to lose weight and, less frequently, to help with seizure disorders, type 1 and type 2
diabetes, cancer, alzheimer’s disease and heart and kidney health.