Ketosis

wexhun

I was recently listening to liveline on RTE where a listener had lost weight on a diet monitored by his pharmacy, he drank nutrient shakes for six months and as a result put his body into ketosis.
Is it safe to put your body into ketosis in the hope of losing weight?
What are the long term side effects, are you doing damage to yourself?

DrIndy

Ketotic diets are like the Atkins Diet, where you artificially induce ketosis - which is what diabetics get and why they lose a lot of weight before being diagnosed.

In this, you starve the body of glucose, forcing the body to convert to a fat burning state, which most tissues are capable of except the brain, but naturally don't do. Hence restrict calories and thence lose weight.

They are a fad without huge scientific backing. Of note, there was a report into the Atkins diet, and it concluded that ketosis was pretty much useless for losing weight, but high-protein high-fat foods actually suppressed appetite so people simply ate less when on the diet rather than altered their metabolism and lost weight that way.

nando

Not much help but it's quite common in high yielding dairy cows

Seen as unavoidable really when they're at peak milk yield. Signs include weight loss, depression and inappetance. There's also a form where they show nervous signs.

Not considered good in animals anyway

sudzs

Eat less, move more!

Seriously though, the way I lose weight is to cut out meat!

Any quick weight loss is bound to comeback as soon as you start eating properly again. And can't ketosis over long periods damage the liver?

wexhun

yes you see thats what would concern me, the damaging long term effects! Then why would a pharmacy support it? I can understand perhaps a clinicallly obese patient benefiting from this type of weight loss but what about the person who has a stone to loose? What damage are they doing to their bodies???

wexhun

PS.
just thinking...its not rocket science is it? everyone knows that the only way to lose weight and maintain that weight loss is to eat less and excersize more. Why are we taken in by all these faddy diet and I include myself, I am always one of the first to know about the latest Atkins, south beach, faddy daddy diet, its the brain you have to start with really isn't it!:rolleyes: