For years, we’ve had misgivings about the high fat content of standard ketogenic diets. But we never had proof that it might cause serious health consequences. Our misgivings were substantiated by a recently released study, showing that children who follow ketogenic diet (often prescribed for kids who have epilepsy) experience artery stiffening. The ketogenic diet does seem to reduce the seizure rate in kids with epilepsy. So it’s bad news for them and their parents because they may need to look for other forms of therapy.
This comes on the heels of reports from the American Gut Health project, showing that the diversity of the gut microbiome is compromised by use of the high-fat, moderate-protein, no-carb ketogenic diet. So, in honor of our American Gut Health project friends, we created a recipe for a collard stew that included simmered stalks with cilantro, whole garlic cloves, juniper berries, and cardamon pods for ten minutes before we added the collard leaves. They were thus softer and easy to chew while increasing our fiber variety.
Given that some people follow a high-fat, moderate protein, no carb ketogenic diet, we thought it important to bring this to your attention: Ketogenic diet causes artery stiffness.
While the standard ketogenic diet has not fared well lately, we still think that striving to increase ketones in your life is valuable for the brain and longevity. You can read more about that here: Calorie Restriction Scientists discuss Ketones, the Brain and Longevity.
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