Ketosis Myths and Facts on the Low-Carbohydrate Diet

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Ketosis Myths and Facts on the Low-Carbohydrate Diet

_http://www.biblelife.org/ketosis.htm_

(http://www.biblelife.org/ketosis.htm)

 

 

This website will prove that eating red meat and natural animal fats while

restricting carbohydrates is not only healthy but will prevent and cure

many diseases.

 

 

Most people experience a condition called ketosis when they suddenly go

from a high-carbohydrate diet to a low-carbohydrate diet. This occurs when

ketone molecules are circulating in the blood in a higher amount than on the

previous high-carbohydrate diet. Ketosis is a normal physiological state

caused by very normal and healthy body functions contrary to the myths,

distortions, and lies published by vegetarians and other high-carbohydrate diet

supporters. Ketosis allows the body to function efficiently and live off of

stored body fat when necessary. Ketones are not a poison which is how most

medical and nutritional experts refer to them. Ketones make the body run

more efficiently and provide a backup fuel source for the brain. The three

substances known as ketone bodies are acetoacetic acid, beta-hydroxybutyric

acid, and acetone. Some unknowledgeable people have an absolute fit when

told that ketosis produces acetones in the blood, since acetone is a common

household solvent. Acetone is commonly used as a fingernail polish remover.

The body produces ketones as the preferred fuel for the heart, outer part of

the kidneys, and most areas of the brain.

 

 

Ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition commonly associated with Type

1 diabetes and insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes. Ketoacidosis is not the

same as normal dietary ketosis. The abnormally low level of insulin in the

diabetic leads to a toxic build-up of blood glucose, causing excess

urination, thirst, and dehydration. The glucose cannot enter the cells to

produce

energy in the absence of insulin. This causes the body to break down an

excessive amount of body fat and muscle tissues for energy. Ketoacidosis is an

unhealthy condition in which the body has excessively high glucose and

ketone bodies at the same time. The ketoacids lower the pH of the blood to an

unhealthy level. The body is very sensitive to changes in blood pH. The

condition is never present in a non diabetic on a carbohydrate-restricted diet

in which beneficial ketosis is achieved. Normal ketosis stabilizes blood

glucose within a normal range and prevents the breakdown of healthy muscle

tissue. The dietary restriction of carbohydrates prevents any build-up of

excess glucose. The blood glucose level remains perfectly normal and stable,

almost straight line. The body is actually powered normally by ketone bodies

while we sleep. Ketosis was common and normal in all primitive people who

lived on a high-protein, high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet such as the

North American plains Indians and northern Eskimos. Dietary fatty acids and

ketone bodies are very healthy fuels for the body in contrast to glucose

which causes insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

 

 

Many people falsely believe they cannot or are not losing weight because

the ketones drop to a lower level. The Ketostiks, used to measure the

ketones in the urine, are no longer showing the purple color on the test strip.

However, weight loss continues with or without the ketones being present.

The spillage of excess ketones in the urine disappears on the low-carbohydrate

diet after the body becomes accustomed to using dietary fats for energy

instead of glucose. This usually occurs within a few weeks on the diet.

People who normally eat high-carbohydrate meals have been fueling their bodies

with glucose and fructose obtained from the carbohydrates. Their cells have

had very little experience burning fatty acids for energy. The body uses

the glucose first to prevent high levels of glucose in the blood.

 

 

The body experiences a new condition when a person goes on the

low-carbohydrate diet. The more commonly used glucose fuel is no longer

available. The

body reacts by dropping the pancreas' production of insulin and increasing

the hormone glucagon. The glucagon draws stored fat reserves in the form

of triglycerides for use by the cells as the new energy source. However, the

cells are slow to react to this new fuel source, and the individual feels

weak or lacking energy. The resistance to burning fatty acids for energy can

vary greatly among individuals. Some people feel this weakness, but others

pick right up and take off with the feeling of greater energy than before.

 

 

The liver begins to catabolize (break down) the extra fatty acids when

they are not being utilized by the cells; however, the liver does not have the

enzyme necessary for complete catabolism of the fatty acids. This causes

the discharge of the ketone molecules into the blood. The strange taste in

the mouth and mild breath odor shows the presence of these ketones. Other

body cells can utilize the ketones for energy. The brain can utilize ketones

contrary to the myth that the brain must be powered by glucose only;

although, some areas of the brain still require glucose which the body makes

from

amino acids or fats. Ketones are the preferred energy source for the

muscles of the heart.

 

 

The body begins to utilize the fatty acids for energy more efficiently

after a few weeks on the low-carbohydrate diet, and the ketone level drops to

normal. This does not mean a person is not losing weight. It means the body

is becoming a more efficient fat burner.

 

 

History pictures and movies taken during the rescue of inmates in German

concentration camp at the end of World War II show the brain and heart can

endure harsh starvation. The bodies of the poor victims were almost

completely depleted of muscle mass because the bodies were consuming muscle

protein

as fuel to stay alive. The concentration camp survivors showed excellent

mental capacity when interviewed many years later and many lived to very old

age. The heart muscle eventually gives out during starvation but that does

no occur until the person is so weak and frail they cannot stand or walk.

The brain and heart survive surprisingly well during starvation. The

observation of German concentration camp inmates proves that a low-carbohydrate

diet has no detrimental effect on the brain or heart as falsely claimed by

many professional nutritionists.

 

 

The scientific and practical amount of carbohydrate needed in the diet is

ZERO -- NONE. Carbohydrates are not a requirement for any body function. In

fact it appears that the lower the carbohydrate level in the diet the

better the long-term health. Age-related degenerative diseases are caused by

high levels of carbohydrates in the diet. One can be on a very low or

zero-carbohydrate diet indefinitely as has been shown by the study of many

primitive societies.

_Absolute Scientific Proof Carbohydrates Are Pathogenic._

(http://www.biblelife.org/carbs.htm)

 

_Stefansson 1 - Eskimos Prove An All Meat Diet Provides Excellent Health._

(http://www.biblelife.org/stefansson1.htm)

 

 

The author was on the Atkins' Induction phase eating fewer than 20 grams

of carbohydrates per day for many months. Ketosis had long since

disappeared. I went for a blood test at a Quest Diagnostics walk-in facility

after the

required 12-hour fast. The results showed a perfectly normal blood glucose

level in the midrange. It could not have been better. Carbohydrates are

not required to maintain a normal blood glucose level and not required in the

diet as brain fuel. The body can make all the glucose required from protein

and fats in the diet, and it makes glucose at a healthy level in this

manner.

 

_Ketosis: Is it safe? Why do some people say it's dangerous?_

(http://www.ketosis-ketoacidosis-difference.com/)

 

_Blood Pressure Control and Blood Testing Information._

(http://www.biblelife.org/blood.htm)