When the carbohydrate intake is restricted to below 30gms/day, insulin secretion in the body is undoubtedly lowered and stored glycogen gets depleted. With the presence of low carbohydrates in plasma 2, the important metabolic processes get kicked off which results in gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis.

Gluconeogenesis (GNG) is a metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from certain non-carbohydrate carbon substrates. When the availability of glucose is critically lowered, ketogenesis begins to provide an alternate source of energy in the form of ketone bodies. Ketogenesis results in low plasma concentration of glucose which in turn sharply reduces the stimulus for insulin secretion, and eventually lowers the stimulus for fat and glucose storage (insulin always signals to store fat). Our body is able to store about 100 to 120gms of glucose in the liver. So, when we are deprived of a dietary source of glucose, the body solely depends on the liver to release glucose. How long can the liver supply sufficient glucose to the brain? With low carb diet, the body has only about one to three days before it is in trouble.  If the brain doesn’t get hold of something else, besides glucose, the body will stop functioning and will cause death quite abruptly. Hence, the body requires huge amount of energy just to not die. But unfortunately, the human brain can’t access the most abundant source of energy in present in the body which is stored fat in adipose tissue. Therefore, when  the body falls short of glucose, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies for maintaining fuel supply to the brain. The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. This metabolic state is often called as “nutritional ketosis.” And this state is considered quite safe, as ketone bodies are produced in small concentrations without any alterations in blood pH levels. It greatly differs from ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition where ketone bodies are produced in extremely larger concentrations, altering blood pH to acidotic state.

As a naturopath, I strongly recommend Keto diet for weight watchers. In my 15 years of practice, I was unsuccessful in handling the obesity cases because of high failure rate associated with the traditional fasting and fad diet patterns, but keto diet literally changed my perception regarding weight loss programs, but since past 2 years, I am witnessing high success rate in terms of managing obesity & belly fat.  I would also like to acknowledge that low carb high fat diet is only one genuine diet program found to battle with stubborn fat in body. Keto diet is extremely helpful for weight loss because it starts utilizing stored fat for maintaining cellular energy. Unlike the traditional diet patterns, the person under-going Keto need not give up carbs for the entire lifetime. Instead, once the desired goal is reached, say after the initial 2-3 months, the person can consume carbs in moderation along with fat and protein. Also, the person does not gain back the weight lost once the diet is being modified.