Why the Keto Diet and Interval Fasting Can Be Dangerous to Your Health?
The keto diet and interval fasting are two of the most popular diets among those looking to lose weight and improve their health. However, recent studies show that these weight loss methods can have negative health effects, specifically, they can contribute to the development of diabetes. In this article, we’ll look at why keto dieting and interval fasting can become dangerous to your health and what mechanisms underlie them.
Symptoms of Diabetes with Keto Diet, Interval Fasting or Intense Exercise
The keto diet, interval fasting, and strenuous exercise are all commonly seen as components of a healthy lifestyle that help combat obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, the unexpected consequences of these weight loss methods can lead to phenomena described as classic diabetes mellitus.
One of the most common symptoms of diabetes is elevated blood glucose levels. With the keto diet and interval fasting, glucose levels can be either too high or too low. When blood glucose levels are too high, it can be the result of insulin resistance, when a person has very high insulin levels. On the contrary, when blood insulin levels decrease, glucose levels may decrease, which is also a typical symptom of diabetes mellitus.
As early as 1846, Claude Bernard, the father of modern pathophysiology, studied starvation in rabbits and found that when rabbits switched to a normal diet after starvation, glucose appeared in their urine. Thus, it was concluded that starvation diabetes could develop.
Therefore, while a keto diet, interval fasting and strenuous exercise may be beneficial for better health, they can also have negative effects on the body and lead to the development of diabetes mellitus. It is important to understand that a balanced diet and moderate physical activity may be safer ways to maintain health without such negative consequences.
In today’s environment, with more and more people taking care of their health and watching their blood sugar levels, paradoxical situations arise. Sometimes people who live a healthy lifestyle, exercise and avoid carbohydrates experience elevated glycated hemoglobin levels, an indicator that reflects the average blood sugar concentration over the past three months.
At the same time, insulin levels may decrease. This can be worrisome for people because such changes in glucose and insulin levels can be a sign of the development of type 1 diabetes. It is important to know what other signs may indicate the development of this disease so that you can see a doctor in time to take the necessary steps.
How Can Keto Dieting and Starvation Lead to Pseudodiabetes?
When we starve or follow a keto diet, our body faces a caloric deficit. To compensate for this deficit, the body begins to use fat depots as an energy source. Under the influence of growth hormone, fat depots start to be broken down intensively, and the products of this breakdown end up in the liver, where they are synthesized into glucose. Glucose is necessary for feeding the brain and skeletal muscles. However, the body prioritizes glucose for the brain and the muscles receive glucose on a residual basis.
In order to keep blood glucose levels at optimal levels and provide glucose to the brain, the body needs to control insulin production. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood glucose levels. When insulin levels are low, glucose does not reach the muscles, but it continues to reach the brain, which provides energy.
This explains why starvation or a keto diet can help with weight loss or reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, it should be noted that these methods are not suitable for everyone and can be dangerous to your health, so it is always worth discussing them with your doctor. If you already have diabetes, however, you should see your doctor to help you develop a personalized treatment plan that fits your needs and health conditions.
In the absence of blood glucose, the body begins to perform a number of mechanisms to maintain blood glucose levels at a certain level. One of the first mechanisms is to reduce insulin production. If this doesn’t work, the body turns on other mechanisms to develop insulin resistance, which results in insulin not being able to act effectively on the cells and glucose not being able to be translated into muscle depots.
Thus, people who are on a keto diet, interval fasting, or who perform vigorous physical activity may have active gluconogenesis, which increases blood glucose levels. However, insulin levels may remain low, resulting in higher blood sugar levels, or insulin resistance may occur as a defense mechanism against low glucose.
This can lead to elevated blood glucose levels, increased glycated hemoglobin levels, and even the appearance of glucose in the urine. Increased glucose levels can also lead to early manifestations of peripheral neuropathies, such as burning, tingling and muscle twitching, even in healthy people who eat a healthy diet and exercise.
It is unclear what exactly is driving this process. Some believe that ketones such as acetone, acetoacetic acid and betahydroxybutyrate, which appear during a keto diet or starvation, may be the cause. Others believe it is due to autophagy, the process by which the body’s cells recycle their own proteins and other molecules for energy. Others believe it may be related to both autophagy and ketones.
This condition is called pseudodiabetes, which develops on a ketogenic diet or simply on starvation. However, ketosis can be caused not only by the lack of carbohydrates in the diet, but also by eating pure carbohydrates such as honey. If you spend more calories than you consume, you may have an energy deficit, and as a byproduct of breaking down fat, you will begin to produce ketones such as acetoacetic acid and beta-hydroxybutyrate.
Is Pseudodiabetes a Health Hazard with Keto Dieting, Fasting and Exercise?
Pseudodiabetes caused by keto dieting, fasting, or strenuous exercise is a concern for many people. However, according to modern medicine, this type of pseudodiabetes is not a serious condition and is not harmful to health if measures are taken to treat it. It is important to note that pseudodiabetes is a reversible condition, and after stopping the keto diet, fasting, or reducing the intensity of physical activity, pseudodiabetes completely disappears. No extra effort or special treatment measures are required.
Moreover, even during the development of pseudodiabetes, regenerative processes in the body are triggered. The autophagy that occurs during a keto diet, starvation or intense exercise helps to slow down aging and improve a person’s health. Thus, pseudodiabetes caused by a keto diet, starvation or intense exercise is not a serious threat to health and can be easily corrected with lifestyle changes.
Blood sugar levels may rise with a keto diet or strenuous exercise, but this is not always dangerous. However, regular monitoring of glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin, and fructosamine levels is recommended to monitor your health.
It is ideal to perform tests at least once a month. This approach will allow any changes to be detected in a timely manner and necessary action to be taken. Although not everyone has this pseudodiabetes, it is important to be prepared for this possibility and know how to react.
Conclusion
In conclusion, pseudodiabetes on a keto diet, starvation or intense exercise may cause some changes in blood sugar levels, but in general is not considered a dangerous condition. It is completely reversible and does not require any extra effort. However, in order to monitor your health, it is recommended to monitor blood sugar levels and take appropriate tests, such as blood tests for glucose, glycated hemoglobin and insulin, as well as urine and fructosamine tests.
If any problems arise, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner. In general, if all necessary precautions are taken, pseudodiabetes is not a serious problem and should not be an obstacle for those following a keto diet, fasting, or strenuous exercise.