Is keto lifestyle dangerous?

health
(Bethany) #24

Hey @Zenjen! What you shared that your sister and the doctor said does not give substantial evidence as to say that keto is dangerous. I hope your sister is getting some blood and other tests done to try and see what’s really going on. There is nothing innately dangerous about keto – quite the opposite: it innately removes a lot of foods that have been proven to be dangerous. If it helps, I’ve been eating ketogenically for over 3 years and am doing really well.

There are so many variations within ketogenic eating based on genetics and physiology. For example, I can pack back the cream and eggs on keto while others find out they have an allergy to it and get sick, or, I found I need more active folate due to a genetic mutation, while others can function just fine on less of certain kinds of vegetables. Feeling bad and getting sick while on keto does not mean that keto is dangerous, but may be a good sign that something you are (or are not) eating is not right for you, and needs to be investigated.

If you are concerned, I would suggest you work with your doctor to get blood tests done, and make the way you eat a life-time experiment to see what is best for you. Your health and future are worth a deeper and personal investigation.

Is there anything within ketogenic eating that you are specifically worried about as dangerous?

#27

I’m lucky enough to have a good one, but the majority aren’t going to go against standard of care which was my point. FAR more of them would rather secure their positions even if they know what their doing is wrong. With the system rigged against them the way it is most of us would do the same. Quitting a normal job or risking being fired when something is just wrong is one thing, having your career destroyed everywhere in your field is a far greater gamble.

(bulkbiker) #28

I think you are changing your stance slightly here… in your initial statement you say

But now you are saying you have a constructive conversation with your doctor.

So if your doc said “stop” you would not in fact simply stop but would engage with them and find out why they are saying stop.
Edit to ad and then make up your own mind?

#29

Obviously, read between the lines. EVERY doc isn’t the problem, the overwhelming majority are though.

Ummm, nope. If there’s one thing I DON’T have a problem with, it’s confrontation. It’s one of my failings. It’s gotten me into a lot of trouble over the years.

What are you talking about? Where the hell are your assumptions coming from?

Um, ya, actually I am in most cases as most of us are. Most day to day things aren’t emergency room situations that require medical intervention.

You make a lot of assumptions, what you’re basing them on I have no clue. I’ve been eating this way for a very long time, ignoring mainstream medicines BS for many years and making myself healthier and very much up on the science behind the things I do. May want to bite your lip pal.

(Zenjen) #30

i’m just worried i will get weaker than i was before starting keto.

(Running from stupidity) #31

Why?

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #32

Thanks.
On point 1: There are much better signs of hypothyroidism. And is it hypo or Hashimoto? High LDL doesn’t tell you as efficiently as a TSH, Total TH, T4 and T3 tests.
On point 2: High LDL doesn’t connote high triglycerides or really anything other than high LDL. I didn’t say jack about triglycerides, as mine are at a personal record 39 while said doctor who I think has fired me for having a conversation wants me on a statin, while treating me for Hashimoto and low T3.

Questioning medical advice is worth while. It’s a job for a doctor, it’s your life. And no doctor can be as invested in your health or well being as you are. And no doctor can research conditions for their patients as well as a dedicated patient will, just because you are inherently more invested. Again, a doctor is a consultant you hire for your health. If they give you advice, they don’t share the risk or reward of you actually following it. When my GP advises that I embrace a pound of vegetables a day, I ignore that advice. When my endocrinologist suggests aggressive statin therapy for my LDL number because of FH, despite having triglycerides at 39, remnants at 8, and a -.5 atherogenic index, I have a conversation about why I disagree. She hasn’t responded to my last message for 3 days now, so I sent one last night, asking if I’m fired as a thyroid client because I’m not interested in anxiety and treatment for my non-atherogenic high cholesterol.

(Zenjen) #33

Because of my sister warning.

(Running from stupidity) #34

Well, you need to find out what that is actually based on first.

(Bethany) #35

It’s really hard to give any advice with so little information and evidence. I think you’re claiming that keto may be causing the fluctuations in blood pressure that your sister experienced, and may thus be dangerous long-term, and make people sick/weak (is that right, or is there more to it?).

There are a LOT of things that can cause these fluctuations: taking the reading sitting down vs standing up – even the position of your arm when its taken; white-coat syndrome; stress; certain medications; fermented foods, viruses… have these been ruled out? And how exactly did the doctor and your sister rule IN the entire ketogenic lifestyle as a cause? There is evidence that fatty foods can help lower blood pressure, and fasting can sometimes increase it, but that’s all I’ve come across in my research so far. Neither happen to everyone, and both are things that can be adjusted within the keto diet. In my opinion, the burden of proof here is on the doctor that is supposed to be diagnosing based on evidence. So far I see none, and there is no evidence-based reason to believe that your sister’s sickness is associated with the entire keto lifestyle, and especially that the keto lifestyle is dangerous. If you do have any evidence to point to either of these, please share :slightly_smiling_face:

On this forum you can find a lot of evidence in scientific articles, and shared personal experiences of people like me who have done keto longer than 2 years without any dangerous side effects, including blood pressure changes. These challenge the validity of your sister’s claim that because she got sick with fluctuating blood pressure two years after changing to a keto, the ketogenic lifestyle is dangerous.

I’m really glad you feel fantastic eating keto – I do too! You can always buy a cheap blood pressure cuff to keep track of things if you’re still worried. I bought one after my blood pressure was really high when I went to the doc about a year and a half ago. I tested things for about three weeks, and found that part of it was ‘white coat syndrome,’ but mostly I found out it was in response to caffeine. I stopped drinking so much coffee, and my blood pressure is completely normal now – despite still following a ketogenic lifestyle :smile:

#36

There is NO such thing as an essential carbohydrate, that’s biological FACT!. Carbohydrates are NOT required for muscle protein synthesis to take place, also FACT. Ask your sister how the carbs make a difference SPECIFICALLY, or what happens during muscle protein synthesis, how does our body build muscle and what does it use to do so…SPECIFICALLY, no offense to your sister, I don’t know her. But you’ll realize very quickly like most people with these “opinions” that they simply have no clue what they’re talking about and just hear somebody else say something and regurgitate it as fact.

Look into Danny Vega, Robert Sikes, you’ll notice REAL fast they’re having no issues with muscle. Also look at Danny’s wife Maura, women have the same results.

(less is more, more or less) #37

You echo Taubes explanation in “Why We Get Fat.” It’s on us to push, as well, LCHF, constructively, of course. That’s why I support Nina Teicholz’s Nutrition Coalition to bring additional transformative forces to light.

(less is more, more or less) #38

Dr. Ken Berry is quite articulate on the difficulty of finding LCHF doctors in undeserved areas. Yet, it is easier to curse the darkness then light a candle:

Consumer demand may go a long way. Not a fix for today, but a start.