What is a Ketogenic Diet? Relation to Diabetes, Ketone, & Cholesterol

Definition|Diet Plan|Lab Work|Coffee It Works|Conclusion
Definition
What is a Keto Diet?
Keto diet is the other name for “low carb diet, now you may recognize what does it meant by ketogenic diet.
Also, nutritionists may give it a name “low carb high fat (LCHF)”.
Some books and even big health websites define keto diet as:

keto diet: where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy

This is a scientific error, ketones are metabolic byproduct after burning fats (fatty acids to be accurate).
When you reduce carbs and start using more fats, the body transform logically to make energy from fats instead of usual carbs, as a result liver will breakdown fats and more ketone will left behind, ketones must out the body through urination.
The process of producing ketones in the liver called ketosis, a healthy process to protect our body during starvation and low food intake, ketosis is a manifestation of our body adaptation.

Diet Plan

A step by step guide to Kete Diet Plan

Sorted from most to least important:

  1. A strict low-carb diet:Restrict carbohydrates to 20 digestible grams per day or less.
  2. Restrict protein to moderate levels as it hard to be used by the body and consume high amount of energy during protein metabolism.
  3. Eat enough fat to feel satisfied, it may be hard to be done at the beginning.
  4. Avoid snacking when not hungry because it emphasizes glucose built up and increase belly size.
  5. If necessary, add intermittent fasting periods of time.

Lab Work

Blood tests for Keto Diet

Blood glucose test and lipids profile test as well as urinary ketone test are most important, required every week to adjust your diet and keep it healthy, other tests may be used to reassure everything is OK and working inside the body.
Urine Ketone test
By discarding a urine sample and insert a dipstick of ketone you can show how much ketone bodies you have, the ketone level in urine is directly proportional to fat burning process and effectiveness of “low-carb-high-fat-diet”.
Compare your level with the ketone chart here: ketone levels 
Fasting Glucose and Insulin
It is considered ideal if you have a fasting blood glucose level of 100 mg/dl. A fasting insulin level of less than 25 mIU/L is ideal and the target insulin level two hours after a meal should be 16-166 mIU/L
Don’t forget to learn how to adjust your sugar levels and insulin (c-peptide), full guide at: 
Fasting Blood Glucose Levels
What is C-Peptide Test?
Lipid Profile Test
Lipids test consists of five test and they’re Total Cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotiens (LDL), High Density Lipoprotiens,Very Low density Lipoprotiens (vLDL), and Triglycerides.
LDL high level is more likely to have a cardiovascular disease, triglycerides breakdown will cause high ketone concentration in urine.
You can monitor your ketogenic diet by keep lipid levels in the target levels, better to do lipid profile each week.
Do you know: what does high cholesterol mean?
HbA1C, glycated hemoglobin test
A1C blood test gives a 3 month average reading of your blood glucose, a useful indicator on how efficiently your body uses glucose and and important alarm on how insulin resistant you are, best to take A1c every 3 months.
Complete levels guide and how to use it are here:> Hgb A1c levels chart
Vitamin B12 test
Normal levels of Vit.B12 are 200-900 pg/ml, help produce more cells and molecules in the body, recommended every year.
High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP)
C-reactive protein is a key predictor of sever inflammation, used to monitor cardiovascular and chronic diseases, best time for CRP test is when you fell unusual or very fatigue.
See full explanation and levels interpretation at: What is CRP Normal Range?
Thyroid Function
As much as thyroid produce enough thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) the body metabolism become more adequate and effieint, be sure that thyroid hormones at the optimum level before starting a ketogenic plan.
A comprehensive guide to thyroid function test results at: Thyroid Levels chart
Cortisol Levels
High Cortisol levels is a good early indicator of overactive pituitary gland which means high stress levels, elevated cortisol can cause excess weight gain around the midsection.
Best to take a cortisol test every other week, reference levels are 10-20 ug/dl.
Vitamin D
The sun rays act as a catalytic agent to transform Vitamin D in the skin to its active form (name 25(OH)D), vitamin D deficiency will cause low calcium levels which lead to bone diseases.
Optimum 25(OH)D level that you want is between 20-100 ng/mL, a yearly Vitamin D check up is enough.
Magnesium Test
Magnesium activates over 300 reactions in the body on a constant basis daily. Magnesium is crucial factor to nerve transmission, muscle contraction, blood coagulation, energy production, nutrient metabolism and in particular bone cell formation.
When to do magnesium testing?

  1. After a symptoms of magnesium deficiency appear due to:
  2. chronically low blood levels of calcium and potassium.
  3. muscle weakness
  4. twitching
  5. cramping
  6. confusion
  7. cardiac arrhythmias
  8. seizures.

Target magnesium level is between 1.7-2.2 mg/dL,
Taking Magnesium supplements Regulates Levels of Calcium, Potassium and Sodium which helps Increase Energy, Calms Nerves and Anxiety, helps with Digestion by Relieving Constipation, as well as Prevents Migraine Headaches.
Ever heard about protein diet, get to know How to Set Protein Diet by BUN Creatinine Uric Levels
Coffee It Works

Keto Coffee It Works

“It Works” made a coffee called “Keto Coffee”, this product provides you with protein in the form of collagen peptides and unique fatty acids from Grass-Fed Butter and Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), the possible benefits include: support your body’s ketone production and the process of ketosis.
The idea behind keto coffee is that give your body fuel that is rich in nutrient-dense, blood sugar–stabilizing fat.
Suitable for who need to put something in his coffee or tea. Coffee contains a very small amount of carbohydrate.
Beer is not recommended if you are on a keto low carb diet.

Does the Ketogenic Diet Work?

Glucose is the body’s primary source of energy when carbohydrates are present However, in the absence of carbs, the liver takes fatty acids in the body and converts them to ketone bodies, also known as ketones, as an energy source. This process is known as ketosis, and it’s the goal for those on a ketogenic diet.

Dr.Megan Ralf

A Medical laboratory Scientist who devoted his life to medical and laboratory sciences, writes his everyday expertise dealing with various pathological conditions through laboratory diagnosis of different body fluids, also participating in many workshops for first aids, infection control, and urgent care. Also Dr Megan Ralf coaching many medical teams.

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