Friday, July 1, 2016

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High-fat, low-carb dieting (AKA “ketogenic” dieting) may work for some. However, scientists are now beginning to suspect that for those born with certain gene variants, going keto could be lethal. According to new research, fat metabolism during ketosis can go haywire in those who are obese, type 1 diabetic, or born with genetic mutations that affect fat oxidation (such as errors in the CPT2 gene).

 In this study, the mutated mice couldn’t handle the high-fat intake, and the ketogenic diet eventually killed them. Yes, the diet dissolved all fat tissue throughout their bodies. But their livers were enlarged with fat molecules. How come? A high-fat, ketogenic diet induces lethality in mice with deficient fat oxidation in the liver (Lee et al., 2016)


Fat molecules freed up by fat cells are sent to the liver for oxidation (burning). However, the livers of mutated mice couldn’t burn those fat molecules, they just absorbed them and got too fat to function. What happens next? 


The truth is that some people can metabolize fats better than others, and your genetics play a role in that. For example, Eskimos can tolerate high amounts of fat without issues. But if you can’t metabolize high-fat intake properly, or have tolerance problems, please apply caution. You wouldn’t want to follow a trend to fix something, yet break something else! Note: Whether you can tolerate ketogenic dieting or not, you may still wonder: 


Can the brain perform without carbs? Discover the link between ketosis and your brain processing power here. 


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