Nutrition
How Keto Heals
Ketogenic diet is a natural physiological state, not a fad. Recent research demonstrates impressive healing effects of ketone bodies on the nervous system and women's hormonal balance.
Nutrition
Ketogenic diet is a natural physiological state, not a fad. Recent research demonstrates impressive healing effects of ketone bodies on the nervous system and women's hormonal balance.
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In the countryside, it's often said: "What the farmer doesn't know, he won't eat." This expresses the idea that we tend to be skeptical of the new and prefer what we're familiar with.
In itself, that's not bad. However, it becomes problematic when we cling to what we're familiar with, even when evidence shows that the new is healthier or more beneficial.
You often encounter this attitude when you, like us, want to bring health knowledge to people. And the less someone has engaged with the subject so far, the more difficult it becomes.
Journalists, in particular, often seem poorly informed about this. For many of them, a ketogenic diet, or "keto," is nothing more than a "dangerous hype from the internet."
How absurd, really. Because keto is perhaps one of the most natural states of human physiology.
A reminder: supermarkets haven't always existed. Refrigerators have only been around for about 60–70 years. And no, there are no trees where bread rolls grow.
In other words, humans lived for a very long period of their evolutionary timeline off what they found in nature. And nature is generally quite low in carbohydrates—at least compared to our carbohydrate availability today.
Moreover, humans had to hunt and gather for food, which often meant that there were times when food was scarce. All these factors meant that our fat metabolism was heavily stressed over millions of years.
When fat metabolism is running smoothly and is fully engaged, it produces ketone bodies—sugar substitutes that pack a powerful punch, as research shows us today.
Fasting and fasting-like states have been known as healing remedies for centuries. We often fast when ill, for example during severe infections—the body does this automatically.
Ketogenic diet mimics such states: you eat very few carbohydrates, but more protein and especially fat. This doesn't work for everyone, but it works for many.
The healing powers of ketone bodies were recently confirmed once again. We don't want to withhold these studies from you.
In an animal model for multiple sclerosis, it was shown that a ketogenic diet and ketone bodies alone significantly protect against neurological damage by activating gut bacteria that produce protective substances.¹
In another study with overweight women, a calorie-restricted ketogenic diet improved the menstrual cycle in many women, and in some women a previously absent menstruation returned—in the low-fat comparison, this effect did not occur.² The authors hypothesize:
"Our hypothesis based on these results is that the presence of ketone bodies may help regulate women's health with regard to endocrine, cognitive, and metabolic influences."
These findings are impressive. But caution: as powerful a tool for health this can be, it can be equally harmful in other contexts.
Not every body functions optimally long-term on a ketogenic diet. Additionally, care must be taken to consume enough calories.
Our tip: optimize your ability to produce ketone bodies, and use a ketogenic diet cyclically—especially if you're a woman. To produce more ketone bodies, you can do the following:
This way, you can safely enjoy the beneficial effects of ketone bodies. You just have to be open to the new. The conventional diet won't get you there.
Alexander et al. A diet-dependent host metabolite shapes the gut microbiota to protect from autoimmunity. Cell Reports, 2024; 114891 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114891
Kackley et al. Self-reported menses physiology is positively modulated by a well-formulated, energy-controlled ketogenic diet vs. low fat diet in women of reproductive age with overweight/obesity. PLOS ONE, 2024; 19 (8): e0293670 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293670
