Can A Diabetic Do A Ketogenic Diet?

Does The Ketogenic Diet Work For Type 2 Diabetes?

You’ve probably seen dozens of headlines about the ketogenic diet by now, which has made its way into popular culture largely by celebrities and supermodels giving the long-standing fad diet a repeated stamp of approval. Is this the diet to follow if you have diabetes? Studies suggest the answer isn’t so simple. Some science shows its meal plan may be helpful, while other research, like one study published in September 2016 in Nutrients, highlights the importance of whole grains in the diets of people with diabetes — a restricted food category in the ketogenic diet. While the keto diet can offer many potential benefits for diabetes management, following it requires pretty serious commitment. So take a beat before you take the plunge — and consider these questions that can help you and your medical team determine if it’s right for you: How Does the Ketogenic Diet Work Exactly? There’s a good reason the ketogenic diet is also referred to as a low-carb, high-fat diet. Indeed, following the ketogenic diet means reducing carbohydrate intake to typically less than 50 grams (g) of carbohydrates per day, while increasing fat and protein intake, according to a review published in August 2013 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. To put that into perspective, an individual on an average, non-restricted diet can easily eat more carbohydrates than that in one typical meal — for instance, a turkey, cheese, and veggie sandwich on whole-grain bread with a small, 1 ounce (oz) bag of classic potato chips would come in at around 51 g of carbs. These dietary changes drive down insulin levels, eventually leading your body into a state of ketosis, during which it is burning fat rather than carbohydrates. What Are Some of the Potential Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet for Continue reading >>

Can The Ketogenic Diet Treat Or Reverse Diabetes?

Can the Ketogenic Diet Treat or Reverse Diabetes? Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic diseases in the country. In 2015, 30.3 million Americans (9.4% of the whole population) had diabetes and 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year[ * ]. These overwhelming statistics show that diabetes is a disease that must be addressed. Doctors from around the world can all agree that a healthy overall diet and consistent exercise regimen are the most effective natural solutions to prevent diabetes. But in the nutrition world, there is a lot of confusion as to which specific diet is best. Luckily, there is an overwhelming amount of research suggesting a low carbohydrate, high fat ketogenic diet may help ease symptoms of diabetes or, in some cases, eliminate it completely. In this article, well discuss the following: Before diving into the role of the ketogenic diet in diabetes, its important to understand how diabetes works and review some basic medical terms. Diabetes is a disease that can occur when your blood sugar is chronically too high[ * ]. Blood sugar (or blood glucose) is your bodys main source of energy and comes from the food you eat primarily carbohydrates. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas. When you eat, glucose enters the bloodstream and insulin helps transport this blood glucose into your cells to be used for energy. When your body doesnt make enough insulin, or doesnt use it properly, sugar (or glucose) will remain in your bloodstream and wont reach your cells. Over time, you will build up excessive amounts of sugar in your bloodstream and develop diabetes. There are two main kinds of diabetes type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system destroys the beta cells in your pancreas responsibl Continue reading >>

Effective Diabetes Treatment

The most effective diabetes treatment is one which helps people with diabetes lower carbohydrate intake. Eating a large amount of sugar and starch at one time causes blood sugars to spike after the meal. That large blood sugar surge then requires a large insulin response from the pancreas (or in an injection). Too much insulin then crashes blood sugar down. The image below is from a study which looks at blood sugar reactions to high carb meals. This blood sugar "roller coaster" is rooted in a belief in the mainstream medical community and diabetes organizations that carbohydrates should make up between 45-65% of daily calories. They try to hide this with vague language, but the 2017 medical recommendations from the American Diabetes Association specifically says 15-20% of calories should come from protein, and 20-35% of calories should come from fats. That means the balance of calories (45-65%) come from carbohydrates. See page S36 of this document. On a daily calorie intake of 2000 calories, that works out to between 225 and 325 grams of carbohydrate. Advising people with diabetes to eat 45-65% of their calories from carbohydrates causes high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) which sticks to or glycates body cells and tissues and guarantees the development of long term complications such as peripheral nerve pain (neuropathy), kidney damage (nephropathy), a loss of eyesight (retinopathy) and other common diabetic complications. Worse, for those who take insulin injections, the large doses of insulin that have to be given to match high blood sugar spikes can result in low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) episodes which are incredibly dangerous, since hypoglycemia can cause a loss of consciousness or death if the brain runs out of glucose. I think one reason for this advice is a beli Continue reading >>

Is The Ketogenic Diet Safe For People With Diabetes?

Is The Ketogenic Diet Safe for People with Diabetes? If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, chances are you’re looking for simple yet effective ways to control your blood sugar. And, if at all possible, without the use of daily shots or medications. As I’ve mentioned in earlier blog posts, exercise is one of the best natural ways to manage blood glucose. But perhaps the most obvious way to keep blood sugar at a safe and consistent level without insulin is to pay special attention to what you eat. And, in the case of diabetes, limiting your carbohydrate intake may be the key. What Is the Keto Diet? At first glance the ketogenic (keto) diet may seem like a crazy idea for type 2 diabetics. After all, many patients are put on diets to help them lose weight. The keto diet is high in fat, but it is very low in carbs, and this combination can help change the way your body stores and uses energy. With this diet your body converts fat instead of sugar into energy, which can improve blood glucose levels while reducing the need for insulin. Ketosis VS Ketoacidosis Ketosis and ketoacidosis are two very different things, which are often confused. But it’s very important you understand the difference. What is ketoacidosis? Ketoacidosis (KA) is a life-threatening condition in which your body doesn’t make enough insulin. This causes you to have dangerously high levels of ketones (substances occurring when the body uses fat stores for energy) and blood sugar. The combination of both makes your blood incredibly acidic, and this can, in turn, change the normal functioning of your internal organs such as your liver and kidneys. Patients suffering from ketoacidosis must get treatment immediately or they could slip into a coma and even die. Ketoacidosis can develop in less than 24 Continue reading >>

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes In Only 2.5 Months With Keto And Fasting

With a combination of keto, fasting and exercise, Osvaldo has been able to reverse his type 2 diabetes in only 2.5 months! It’s very impressive. Here’s exactly how he did it: The email Hello Andreas, I want to thank you for the advice at Diet Doctor, as it helped me reverse my type 2 diabetes in only one and a half months. On the 1st of June 2017, I went to a scheduled appointment at my doctor’s office and he stated that my blood sugar had risen to an HbA1c of 73 mmol/mol (8.8%), and he thought that I should start taking insulin. I had, since I was diagnosed in 2012, taken Metformin (850 mg) three times daily and Glimeperid 4 mg in the morning. I told him that I didn’t want to take insulin and so he prescribed Januvia instead, with the intention of strengthening the blood-sugar lowering power of the medication, but he said that we needed to book another appointment within three months to see whether the blood sugar (as measured by HbA1c) had been lowered to approximately 52 mmol/mol (6.9%) which is what they recommend for people with the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and if that didn’t happen he would have to prescribe insulin. When I went home I felt both disappointed and angry as I hadn’t worked out during the last couple of months and it hadn’t affected the result in any significant way, but at the same time I refused to accept that type 2 diabetes is a chronic and incurable disease which worsens no matter what. My older brother died from the disease in the beginning of May and my father in law passed away from it three years ago. I refused to see a dark future in front of me. I started to search for alternative treatments and found a YouTube clip by Dr. Jason Fung about reversing type 2 diabetes and I started to collect information by looking on other p Continue reading >>

How The Ketogenic Diet Works For Type 2 Diabetes

Special diets for type 2 diabetes often focus on weight loss, so it might seem crazy that a high-fat diet is an option. But the ketogenic (keto) diet, high in fat and low in carbs, can potentially change the way your body stores and uses energy, easing diabetes symptoms. With the keto diet, your body converts fat, instead of sugar, into energy. The diet was created in 1924 as a treatment for epilepsy, but the effects of this eating pattern are also being studied for type 2 diabetes. The ketogenic diet may improve blood glucose (sugar) levels while also reducing the need for insulin. However, the diet does come with risks, so make sure to discuss it with your doctor before making drastic dietary changes. Many people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, so a high-fat diet can seem unhelpful. The goal of the ketogenic diet is to have the body use fat for energy instead of carbohydrates or glucose. A person on the keto diet gets most of their energy from fat, with very little of the diet coming from carbohydrates. The ketogenic diet doesn’t mean you should load up on saturated fats, though. Heart-healthy fats are the key to sustaining overall health. Some healthy foods that are commonly eaten in the ketogenic diet include: eggs fish such as salmon cottage cheese avocado olives and olive oil nuts and nut butters seeds The ketogenic diet has the potential to decrease blood glucose levels. Managing carbohydrate intake is often recommended for people with type 2 diabetes because carbohydrates turn to sugar and, in large quantities, can cause blood sugar spikes. If you already have high blood glucose, then eating too many carbs can be dangerous. By switching the focus to fat, some people experience reduced blood sugar. The Atkins diet is one of the most famous low-carb, high-p Continue reading >>

Ketogenic Diet And Type 1 Diabetes

What is Type 1 Diabetes? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system is a defence that guards the body against bacteria, fungi or parasites. A combination of genetics and an environmental (viral infection, vaccines, low levels of vitamin D, cow’s milk or increased insulin demand) trigger engages the immune system to attack and destroy the beta cells in the pancreas. After these beta cells are destroyed, the body is unable to produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes is the result of the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin. Who Gets Type 1 Diabetes? Type 1 diabetes can affect all age groups. Although the thought has been that type 1 diabetes appears during childhood, current research has found that adults are just as likely to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes; half of type 1 diabetics are diagnosed after age 30. (1) Yet, the rate of Type 1 diabetes in children, in the US, has increased by almost 60% in 11 years (2) and approximately 1 in 300 children in the US will be affected by type 1 diabetes by 18 years of age. (3) There are too many children who are effected globally. The highest rates are in northern Europe and in individuals of European decent. Men are more commonly affected in early adult life. (2) Data suggests the incidence of T1D has been increasing by 2–5% worldwide. (5) What Happens When Your Body Does Not Make Enough Insulin? Beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by your own immune system resulting in too little or no insulin (a hormone released by the pancreas) produced. Without insulin, energy (sugar) from food cannot enter the cells. Instead of fueling the cells, this excess sugar circulates in the blood causing high blood sugar levels (also known as hyperglycemia). If there is Continue reading >>

Ketogenic Diet

Tweet Ketogenic diets are very effective at achieving two common aims of diabetes control, lowering blood glucose levels and reducing weight What is the ketogenic diet? A ketogenic diet is a very low-carb diet, considered to be when you eat a level of carbohydrate of around 30g of carbohydrates per day or below. This encourages the body to get its energy from burning body fat which produces an energy source known as ketones. The diet helps to lower the body's demand for insulin which has benefits for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Note that it is important that you speak to your doctor if you are considering following the diet as precautions may need to be taken before starting. How a ketogenic diet works On a ketogenic diet, blood glucose levels are kept at a low but healthy level which encourages the body to break down fat into a fuel source known as ketones. The process of breaking down or ‘burning’ body fat is known as ketosis. People on insulin will typically require smaller doses of insulin which leads to less risk of large dosing errors. The diet helps burn body fat and therefore has particular advantages for those looking to lose weight, including people with prediabetes or those otherwise at risk of type 2 diabetes. How to follow a ketogenic diet Based on the understanding that carbohydrate is the macronutrient that raises blood glucose the most, the primary goal of a ketogenic diet is to keep consumption lower than that of a traditional low carbohydrate diet with moderate protein and a very high fat content. This will determine the nutrient density of the ketogenic diet as well as how to follow it, as different foods will have different effects on insulin and blood sugar levels. Which foods to eat on a ketogenic diet There are a number of differen Continue reading >>

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes With Nutritional Ketosis

Virta is a science-based online specialty medical clinic using continuous remote monitoring and intensive coaching to help our patients reverse type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. A unique contributor to our success in this is harnessing and sustaining the metabolic benefits of nutritional ketosis. Admittedly, reversing diabetes is a rather bold goal. By way of contrast, the American Diabetes Association defines type 2 diabetes as a progressive disease whose course at best can be slowed by lifestyle change and medication. Based upon solid sciencesome old and some newwe beg to differ. Perhaps its time for a paradigm change. There are few times in the lives of medical scientists where we have the opportunity to change the course of a major medical disease; and even fewer cases where we actually succeed in doing so. In 1920, Bantings discovery that injected insulin could control type 1 diabetes (T1D) was such an event. As a result, over the last century, millions of people with T1D have achieved long and productive lives; whereas before 1920 most of them would have succumbed to this insulin-deficiency disease within less than a year. Young insulin patient circa 1920s, before insulin, and 4 months after beginning treatment. Type 2 diabetes (T2D), on the other hand, is a very different disease that affects hundreds of millions of people. It responds very poorly to injected insulin. Whereas T1D patients cannot make insulin, people with T2D typically make lots of insulin but are resistant to insulins effects across a variety of cellular functions. Despite these facts having been known for 5 decades, we are taught that the core components of T2D management are to force the body to make even more insulin or to inject more insulin to overcome the insulin resistance that characteriz Continue reading >>

Keto Diet And Diabetes: What You Need To Know

The Keto Diet and Diabetes: What You Need To Know. The road to diabetes is paved with marketing schemes that make Americans fat, and the pockets of the food industry even fatter. ~ This post contains affiliate links to help you find the products we use. The Keto Diet principles lay the foundation for a healthy, more balanced way of eating than the standard American diet could ever offer. Its emphasis is on using healthy carbohydrates in balance with high amounts of fat, and moderate protein makes our bodies well-fueled machines and helps equalize hormonal imbalances. This is in stark contrast to what most Americans eat on a daily basis. The average American eats tons of “affordable” processed foods that have hidden sugars and highly processed carbohydrates. We are bombarded with messages that support terrible choices for our bodies. Chances are good these are the biggest struggles you faced when you started looking into the keto diet. I know I did. I was overcome with fear at times because I just didn’t understand how everything I had ever been told about food could be a lie. Keto Diet and Diabetes: What You Need To Know Here are just a few marketing schemes that we have been brainwashed to believe are healthy: Low-fat foods Low-calorie foods Portion control 100 Calorie Packs Calories in equal calories out Burn calories to lose weight Sugar and fats should be eaten in moderation You need carbs to fuel your body If you work out, you need carbs to gain muscle Low carb diets are not sustainable Eggs are bad for you, just eat the whites Turkey bacon and ground turkey are better for you Whole wheat will help you lose weight, especially your belly fat You can work out in 5 minutes a day and lose weight Keto Diet and Diabetes: The Lies These lies have put most of us on t Continue reading >>

A Low-carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet To Treat Type 2 Diabetes

A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes 1Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Department of Veterans' Affairs Medical Center (152), 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC, USA 27705 2Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA 3Private Bariatric and Family Practice, and Clinical Faculty, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Lawrence, KS, USA William S Yancy, Jr: ude.ekud.cm@600ycnay ; Marjorie Foy: ude.ekud.cm@50000yof ; Allison M Chalecki: moc.oohay@ikcelahcnosilla ; Mary C Vernon: moc.oohay@dmnonrevm ; Eric C Westman: ude.ekud@namtsewe Received 2005 Aug 10; Accepted 2005 Dec 1. Copyright © 2005 Yancy et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. The low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (LCKD) may be effective for improving glycemia and reducing medications in patients with type 2 diabetes. From an outpatient clinic, we recruited 28 overweight participants with type 2 diabetes for a 16-week single-arm pilot diet intervention trial. We provided LCKD counseling, with an initial goal of <20 g carbohydrate/day, while reducing diabetes medication dosages at diet initiation. Participants returned every other week for measurements, counseling, and further medication adjustment. The primary outcome was hemoglobin A1c. Twenty-one of the 28 participants who were enrolled completed the study. Twenty participants were men; 13 were White, 8 were African-American. The mean [± SD] age was 56.0 ± 7.9 years and BMI was 42.2 ± 5.8 kg/m2. Hemoglobin A1c decr Continue reading >>

The Ketogenic Diet And Diabetes

The ketogenic diet was originally developed almost 100 years ago to treat epilepsy. Nowadays, it is used as a nutrition plan by health-conscious men and women to optimize body composition and athletic performance. Recent research suggests that high fat, very-low carb diets have another benefit: They may help control glucose, triglycerides, insulin, and body weight in people with diabetes. The research below shows the ketogenic diet may be an effective tool you can use to manage symptoms of Diabetes, alongside exercise and medication. Cutting through the Fat: What is Diabetes? Before we get to research, we need to review some basic medical terminology. Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which the body has elevated blood levels its main energy source: a sugar called glucose. There are two reasons why this occurs. In some people, there is insufficient production of a chemical called insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that lower levels of glucose in the blood. People who suffer from low insulin levels have type I diabetes and they comprise approximately 5 to 10% of all diabetics. [1] Type I diabetes is usually inherited and type I diabetics usually have to inject insulin to maintain proper levels of blood glucose. The other 90% to 95% of people with diabetes are type II diabetics. [1] In this version, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin for proper function or cells in the body do not react to insulin and take in sugar from the blood. Type 2 diabetes is not inherited. However, lifestyle factors such as high body weight, poor exercise and eating habits all increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. [2] It can be managed by improving dietary and lifestyle habits and also using proper medication. [2] Diabetes results in a higher concentration of s Continue reading >>

Why I Chose A Ketogenic Diet For Diabetes Management

Often people use the term “diet” to mean something that is temporary for a specific purpose, usually weight loss. For me, it is a permanent way of eating now. I am a retired physician living with Type 1 diabetes since 1998. I started to exercise regularly in 2007 to help ward off complications, particularly cardiovascular disease. I was unaware at the time that aerobic exercise alone would have little impact on the development of cardiovascular disease. It wasn’t until 2011 when I contemplated doing an ironman distance triathlon, that I discovered diet is the most important determinate in the development of most chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. My research led me to begin a very low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet in February 2012. Why I Chose a Low Carb Ketogenic Diet for Diabetes Management Carbohydrate is the macronutrient that raises blood glucose the most, so keeping consumption low is my primary goal. Of next importance is using whole foods that naturally have the necessary micronutrients and enough complete proteins to support my exercise. I had to add fat to my meals to replace calories from the omitted carbohydrates. My protein intake did not change after starting a ketogenic low carb high fat diet. This way of eating has resulted in a significant improvement in my blood glucose control and a 1.2% reduction in HbA1c. Most importantly, the diet supplies my body with the energy, substrates, and nutrients to enable daily resistance and aerobic/endurance exercise, with minimal need for sports nutrition (sugar), or development of hypoglycemia. I completed The Great Floridian Triathlon in October 2012 without any sugar, food, or hypoglycemia thanks to my low carbohydrate ketogenic lifestyle. Nutritional Ketosis My diet keeps me in a state of nut Continue reading >>

Starting Low Carb Or Keto With Diabetes Medications Diet Doctor

By Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD Updated April 2018 So you have diabetes and you want to try a low-carb or keto diet? Congratulations! It may be the single best thing you could ever do for your health. It can start to reverse your type 2 diabetes, and dramatically increase your blood sugar control with type 1 diabetes. However, you need to know what you are doing. Once you start eating low carb you may instantly have to lower any insulin doses, a lot. Avoiding the carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar decreases your need for medicationto lower it. Taking the same dose of insulin as you did prior to adopting a low-carb diet might result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). You need to test your blood sugar frequently when starting this diet and adapt (lower) your medication. This should ideally be done with the assistance of a knowledgeable physician. If you have diabetes and youre treated either by diet alone or just with Metformin there is no risk of low blood sugar on low carb. You can get started right away. As a general guide you may need to lower your doses by 30-50% or more when starting a strict low-carb diet. Unfortunately theres no way to know the doses required in advance. Youll have to test your blood sugar frequently and adapt (lower) insulin doses. This should ideally be done with the assistance of a knowledgeable physician. Note that as a general rule its easier to err on the low side, and take more insulin later if needed. Thats fine. If instead you overdose and get low sugar youll have to quickly eat or drink more carbohydrates, and that obviously reduces the effect of the low-carb diet. The advice on insulin above generally applies to type 1 diabetes too. A low-carb, high-fat diet can be fantastic for empowering people with type 1 diabetes to get steady b Continue reading >>

Ketones: Clearing Up The Confusion

Ketones, ketosis, ketoacidosis, DKA…these are words that you’ve probably heard at one point or another, and you might be wondering what they mean and if you need to worry about them at all, especially if you have diabetes. This week, we’ll explore the mysterious world of ketones, including if and how they may affect you. Ketones — what are they? Ketones are a type of acid that the body can form if there’s not enough carbohydrate to be burned for energy (yes, you do need carbs for fuel). Without enough carb, the body turns to another energy source: fat. Ketones are made in the liver from fat breakdown. This is called ketogenesis. People who don’t have diabetes can form ketones. This might occur if a person does extreme exercise, has an eating disorder, is fasting (not eating), or is following a low-carbohydrate diet. This is called ketosis and it’s a normal response to starvation. In a person who has diabetes, ketones form for the same reason (not enough carb for energy), but this often occurs because there isn’t enough insulin available to help move carb (in the form of glucose) from the bloodstream to the cells to be used for energy. Again, the body scrambles to find an alternate fuel source in the form of fat. You might be thinking that it’s a good thing to burn fat for fuel. However, for someone who has diabetes, ketosis can quickly become dangerous if it occurs due to a continued lack of insulin (the presence of ketones along with “normal” blood sugar levels is not necessarily a cause for concern). In the absence of insulin (which can occur if someone doesn’t take their insulin or perhaps uses an insulin pump and the pump has a malfunction, for example), fat cells continue to release fat into the circulation; the liver then continues to churn Continue reading >>