Ketogenic diet might help with diabetes

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb eating plan. On the keto diet, you are usually eating around 80% fewer carbs than what national guidelines typically advise.

Research shows that the diet's approach to limiting carbs may help people with type 2 diabetes manage their condition.

This is because glucose in blood comes predominantly from carbohydrates, so reducing carbohydrates reduces blood glucose and hence helps people with type 2 diabetes.

With carbs pretty much out of the picture, the body needs another way to fuel itself. So, it uses fat, which is broken down into ketones — and these ketones become the body's primary energy source and ketones do not increase blood glucose levels. Thus diabetes is better kept in control.

But if you do have type 2 diabetes, your doctor should be monitoring you while you are on the keto diet. That is in part because ketone levels that are too high can be dangerous — changing the degree of blood acidity, and possibly leading to conditions like cardiac arrhythmia, says Osama Hamdy, MD, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and senior staff physician at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

Hamdy says the keto diet is not harmful for the majority of type 2 diabetes patients, but replacing carbohydrates in the diet with any type of fat, like meat or bacon, can result in a significant increase in bad cholesterol. That is why substituting the carbs you are cutting from your diet with healthier proteins and fats, like olive oil, avocados and nuts.

For his part, Hamdy recommends a modified version of the keto diet for overweight or obese type 2 diabetes patients — one where carb intake is specific to the individual, unhealthy fats — like saturated fat in red meat — is limited, and protein intake, particularly plant-based protein like beans, is higher.

"With the keto diet, you are not only losing fat but also losing muscle mass, which is dangerous. The capacity to regain muscle mass again is limited," Hamdy says. "So, replacing carbohydrates with protein instead of fat is a better idea, especially in conjunction with strength training."

The keto diet also comes with a series of side effects — sometimes referred to as the keto flu — like headache, constipation, and bad breath. Other risks include eventually developing conditions like kidney stones and vitamin deficiencies, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The academy also advises against the diet for people with certain conditions, like eating disorders or those with pancreatic disease because of the detrimental effect on the pancreas from the high intake of fat.

Thus consult with a doctor before trying any type of extreme diet.