Study Shows Links of Keto Diet and Fasting Having Major Impact on Heart Health

A new study from St. Louis University (SLU) led by Kyle McCommis, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Biochemistry and Molecular biology at SLU shows that mice with drastic heart failure were bypassed by switching to high fat or keto diet.

McCommis said the study suggests that higher consumption of higher fat and lower carbohydrate may be a nutritional therapeutic intervention to treat heart failure.

The study also highlights that the heart is dependent on Mitochondrial Pyruvate in functioning properly, Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier (MPC) decreases in heart failure, which means the heart cannot pump properly. The study shows that eating a high-fat and low-carb diet prevents this condition to develop or may reverse in some cases.

The study was supported by core resources from the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, and Diabetes Research Center and Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS).

(Photo: zuzyusa)

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What is Ketogenic Diet?

According to Harvard Medical School, Ketogenic diets trigger the ketones as the main source of energy instead of carbohydrates.

The ketones come from the stored fat in our body and are broke down into molecules which are called ketones.

Harvard Medical School highlighted that since the intake of carbohydrates is limited in this diet, it is rich in proteins and fats. It includes plenty of eggs, meats, cheese, nuts, oils, fish, and fibrous vegetables.

Harvard Medical school warned patients with kidney disease to be careful because these practices or lifestyle can worsen their condition.

Benefits of Ketogenic Diet

Apart from the study led by Kyle McCommis, Ph.D. from St. Louis University that shows prevention or may reverse effects of heart failure, Harvard Medical school added that they have solid evidence showing that this diet reduces seizures in children.

They added that patients undergo this lifestyle because it promotes weight loss. Short term, Harvard medical School mentioned that this diet can improve blood sugar control for Type 2 Diabetes patients.

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Precautions to Consider

At this point, you might be thinking about trying Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent Fasting to lose weight and be fit. Ketogenic is very strict and may hard to follow so if you decided to take it, see it through the end.

A study published in Circulation shows that there was a graded association between the number of high-variability of fasting parameters and cardiovascular outcomes.  

Harvard Medical School mentioned that yo-yo dieting that leads to rapid weight loss is associated with increased mortality.

Healthline mentioned factors, why Yo-yo Dieting should not be practiced is because it increases your appetite that leads to weight gain. There are also studies that yo-yo dieting leads to an increase in body fat percentage, muscle loss, fatty liver, and increased risk of diabetes.

A study published in 2016 states that greater consumption of healthy foods is more important for secondary prevention of heart diseases than avoidance of less healthy foods typical in western diets.

In an interview with Penn Medicine News, Neel Chokshi, MD, MBA, said that Keto entails a significant portion of fat calories which are not all equal. He added that consuming so much saturated fats from fast foods and red meat may lead to atherosclerosis which promotes coronary diseases and heart attacks. Chokshi urges citizens to choose wisely from the food that you eat the diet you will undergo.

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