The keto diet is something that has gained much popularity over the years. What is a “low carb, high fats (LCHF)” diet meant to do in our body?
Many proponents of the keto diet are people who have gone on a low carbohydrate, high-fat regime and who have seen some obvious benefits out of there. Hence, they are happy to talk about what they’ve done and how it has helped them.
I’m not here to pedestalize or to demonise the keto diet. I’m here to deconstruct what it does do in the body and provide a balanced overview of the science behind it.
It is a common fact that our cells use the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA, also known as the citric acid cycle or the Krebs cycle) to generate energy from this molecule known as acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). Acetyl-CoA is oxidized in the mitochondria to synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the biochemical energy currency that is used by the cells for energy purposes. Acetyl-CoA can be obtained from glucose (carbohydrates) or ketones (from fatty acids), which we do consume in our diets.
The body preferentially uses glucose as a source of acetyl-CoA, but when there is a scarcity of carbohydrates in the diet, the body shifts its source of energy derivation towards the ketones.
Hence, the ketogenic diet was born. By going keto, the main aim is to shift the source of energy derivation from carbohydrates towards ketones. If one can switch that source satisfactorily well, their dependence on carbohydrate consumption can be lowered significantly.
Why is a lowered carbohydrate consumption useful to our health?
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