Thank you for tackling this subject and citing so many excellent sources.
The keto diet took a big toll when Dr. Mercola began calling it into question, and saying that it stresses the body long term. I had many people message me about that.
I've never seen any actual data cited to support the idea that keto stresses the body. I also frequently here the mantra that women shouldn't do keto or fast because "it's bad for their hormones." Once again, I haven't seen any actual data showing this but it sure gets thrown around a bit.
If there is any data that eating ketogenic or intermittent fasting causes a stress response, I wonder if the researchers didn't give the subjects enough salt. We need so much more salt when on a low carb diet, and if we don't get enough, the body will raise cortisol in order to hold onto the extra salt. So someone eating keto without enough salt (which would be easy to do) would show a stress response and that would cause a researcher to blame the keto diet. While the same person could eat keto and add in a ton of salt, and have no stress response.
Furthermore, when the body is low on salt, it also raises insulin which signals the kidneys to hold on to salt. This will make fat burning more difficult. Without the ability to easily tap into fat stores, a person's body will feel stressed because it's low on fuel.
The people who claim that keto and fasting stresses the body never answer the question of why the body should be stressed when the average American has months of stored body fat.
So, in part II, I will definitely go into depth on the ‘is keto stressful’ question (with stress being the most potent factor to impact on hormones).
And it’s not a ‘yes/no’ issue because, as you’ve noted, a poorly executed ketogenic diet is very stressful on the body (either by not permitted the production of ketones, or leaving the body low on sodium/potassium).
The most valuable thing we can consider when it comes to stress is to first recognize what it is. Stress = any circumstance whereby the body perceives a need for resources that is greater than what is currently available. To massively over-summarize, ketones burn clean (and can sidestep metabolic blockages that have developed) but they cannot burn fast. If someone has a particularly high need for energy – eg. athletic competition, or anything that activates the sympathetic nervous system to this extent – then they will need glucose. Put another way, ketones/fatty acids will not be sufficient on their own to meet demands, aka they will leave someone under stress.
Of course, this is conditional in that this stress can be fairly framed as simply ‘asking ketones to do something that they do not do’ and a case for just not over-taxing the system while on a ketogenic diet… but… I don’t know anyone who can make it through this thing called life without dipping in and out of high stress states. The pattern I see here is the longer someone has been on a ketogenic diet, the more vulnerable they are to rounds of these stress responses starting to take effect.
One obvious caveat is that, for some people (those with insulin sensitivity issues and challenges with carbohydrate metabolism, etc), this not-quite-got-enough stress is infinitely preferable to the nowhere-near-enough stress they may face when using a carbohydrate metabolism. And it also speaks to the potential utility of a cyclical ketogenic diet.
Equally, we should recognise the big picture – which is the aspect you speak of – that most people are talking about the ketogenic diet being stressful because the TRANSITION into ketosis was especially stressful for them. The electrolytes, and in particular the salt, are such a common oversight here. So too not eating enough fat or taking steps to consider fat absorption (should such support be required).
Agree regarding salt, Leslie, for example the keto flu, is the result of low salt/dehydration.
Stress response arises from the adrenals managing hyponatremia/low salt.
I address this, Marek, in my article: How does salt restriction lead to heart dis-ease and fear based reactionary thinking? You may find it of interest.
I assert our physiology is underpinned by hydration not oxygenation. Hydration equals SALT plus water. Salt restriction directives have caused the massive increase in chronic dis-eases. Including T2.
The adrenals managing hyponatremia, an emergency, release all the adrenocortical hormones not just aldosterone. Cortisol raises blood glucose.
Hence salt turns off RAAS because it brings hydration.
I say learn all the symptoms of dehydration/low salt/hyponatremia and remedy with SALT plus water to remain in the healing state.
Salt restriction is a strategy to keep people in a stressed state, FIGHT/FLIGHT/FREEZE, so they are unable to use their frontal cortex and apply critical thinking. It was used to subdue the people of India, The Gandhi Salt March was in response to the suffering the colonial SALT TAX engineered.
The forces against the keto diet are powerful: Big Pharma, Big Food and the Medical Establishment primarily. The first 2 have a lot of profit at risk; the last is just embarrassed that what they have been preaching for 60 years is demonstrably complete rubbish. Expect these powerful forces to act both consciously and unconsciously against the keto diet. There’s a lot at steak (pun intended).
Thank you for tackling this subject and citing so many excellent sources.
The keto diet took a big toll when Dr. Mercola began calling it into question, and saying that it stresses the body long term. I had many people message me about that.
I've never seen any actual data cited to support the idea that keto stresses the body. I also frequently here the mantra that women shouldn't do keto or fast because "it's bad for their hormones." Once again, I haven't seen any actual data showing this but it sure gets thrown around a bit.
If there is any data that eating ketogenic or intermittent fasting causes a stress response, I wonder if the researchers didn't give the subjects enough salt. We need so much more salt when on a low carb diet, and if we don't get enough, the body will raise cortisol in order to hold onto the extra salt. So someone eating keto without enough salt (which would be easy to do) would show a stress response and that would cause a researcher to blame the keto diet. While the same person could eat keto and add in a ton of salt, and have no stress response.
Furthermore, when the body is low on salt, it also raises insulin which signals the kidneys to hold on to salt. This will make fat burning more difficult. Without the ability to easily tap into fat stores, a person's body will feel stressed because it's low on fuel.
The people who claim that keto and fasting stresses the body never answer the question of why the body should be stressed when the average American has months of stored body fat.
So, in part II, I will definitely go into depth on the ‘is keto stressful’ question (with stress being the most potent factor to impact on hormones).
And it’s not a ‘yes/no’ issue because, as you’ve noted, a poorly executed ketogenic diet is very stressful on the body (either by not permitted the production of ketones, or leaving the body low on sodium/potassium).
The most valuable thing we can consider when it comes to stress is to first recognize what it is. Stress = any circumstance whereby the body perceives a need for resources that is greater than what is currently available. To massively over-summarize, ketones burn clean (and can sidestep metabolic blockages that have developed) but they cannot burn fast. If someone has a particularly high need for energy – eg. athletic competition, or anything that activates the sympathetic nervous system to this extent – then they will need glucose. Put another way, ketones/fatty acids will not be sufficient on their own to meet demands, aka they will leave someone under stress.
Of course, this is conditional in that this stress can be fairly framed as simply ‘asking ketones to do something that they do not do’ and a case for just not over-taxing the system while on a ketogenic diet… but… I don’t know anyone who can make it through this thing called life without dipping in and out of high stress states. The pattern I see here is the longer someone has been on a ketogenic diet, the more vulnerable they are to rounds of these stress responses starting to take effect.
One obvious caveat is that, for some people (those with insulin sensitivity issues and challenges with carbohydrate metabolism, etc), this not-quite-got-enough stress is infinitely preferable to the nowhere-near-enough stress they may face when using a carbohydrate metabolism. And it also speaks to the potential utility of a cyclical ketogenic diet.
Equally, we should recognise the big picture – which is the aspect you speak of – that most people are talking about the ketogenic diet being stressful because the TRANSITION into ketosis was especially stressful for them. The electrolytes, and in particular the salt, are such a common oversight here. So too not eating enough fat or taking steps to consider fat absorption (should such support be required).
But I will get in these zones in Part II…
I look forward to reading part 2.
Excellent article, Marek, thank you.
Agree regarding salt, Leslie, for example the keto flu, is the result of low salt/dehydration.
Stress response arises from the adrenals managing hyponatremia/low salt.
I address this, Marek, in my article: How does salt restriction lead to heart dis-ease and fear based reactionary thinking? You may find it of interest.
I assert our physiology is underpinned by hydration not oxygenation. Hydration equals SALT plus water. Salt restriction directives have caused the massive increase in chronic dis-eases. Including T2.
The adrenals managing hyponatremia, an emergency, release all the adrenocortical hormones not just aldosterone. Cortisol raises blood glucose.
Hence salt turns off RAAS because it brings hydration.
I say learn all the symptoms of dehydration/low salt/hyponatremia and remedy with SALT plus water to remain in the healing state.
Salt restriction is a strategy to keep people in a stressed state, FIGHT/FLIGHT/FREEZE, so they are unable to use their frontal cortex and apply critical thinking. It was used to subdue the people of India, The Gandhi Salt March was in response to the suffering the colonial SALT TAX engineered.
The forces against the keto diet are powerful: Big Pharma, Big Food and the Medical Establishment primarily. The first 2 have a lot of profit at risk; the last is just embarrassed that what they have been preaching for 60 years is demonstrably complete rubbish. Expect these powerful forces to act both consciously and unconsciously against the keto diet. There’s a lot at steak (pun intended).