Yes, but only if the cholesterol's profile is optimal. Meaning a high, healthy non oxidized HDL, low remnant cholesterol and healthy, non oxidized LDL.
Remember total cholesterol numbers are not indicative of lipid health, whether they are high or low.
2. There are no advantages to using saturated animal fats.
Saturated animal fats are much more stable than plant fats and the body uses them more efficiently. Butter keeps you leaner than "avocado oil", if it is not eaten in excess.
Plant fats, especially "oils", have been shown to be implicated in more subcutaneous fat deposition. Though subcutaneous fat is protective, as it is a buffer to visceral fat, when it becomes too large, it's a signal that trouble is on its way.
3. Metabolic slowdown is a myth, because early humans never had to deal with it.
Early humans also had a starvation response and so do hunter/gatherers of today. Metabolic thrift is an evolutionary adaptation that occurs to all humans and it's been responsible for our survival. But, only in modernity does it have pathological consequences. The difference is time dependent.
Short term metabolic slowdown from temporary disruptions to blood glucose homeostasis, is not pathological. For example, a famine or food shortage. Long term metabolic slowdown from permanent disruption to blood glucose homeostasis, is pathological. For example, Debbie Cakes and caffeine.
5. Does extended fasting result in eating less?
This statement is based on two common misconceptions:
Misconception #1 - Fasting works because of caloric restriction.
Fasting works because of its affects on blood glucose which in turn affects insulin. This affects weight (water and lean muscle) temporarily. This is true of all diets, including caloric restriction. So, nothing really "worked" as your fat mass is never touched.
Misconception #2 - Fasting is a segue to caloric restriction.
This is false, as the person always over compensates when they eat again, making their calories at best even, or at worst, greater than if they would have eaten the entire time.
This is an effect of extended fasting and it's part of metabolic thrift. The body responds to extended fasting, as if it's caloric restriction on steroids. This is because it was not made to fast for very long periods of time and when it was forced to, it had to get fatter to survive.
Ketogenic diets are "fast mimicking" diets, because they fool the body into thinking it’s fasting, when it’s not. They do this through the release of ketone bodies and lowering of insulin. Both of these effects are interpreted by the body as “starvation”. For this reason, there is no need to incorporate a fasting regimen to a ketogenic diet, especially if you are obese, since the obese have an exaggerated starvation response. You can eat three meals a day with no snacks, in between, and fast for 12 hours, instead.
If including a fasting regimen is achieving results in weight loss and improved metabolic markers, then that’s great, but fasting is not required for these diets. For some, fasting alongside these diets, results in adverse health effects. So, if the ketogenic diet is not giving you results, instead of blaming the diet, watch your fasting.
So, the starvation response only becomes a problem when it occurs without the starvation. In true starvation, there are only two outcomes - death or the starvation stops. In pseudo starvation there are only two outcomes - get fatter and become diabetic. It appears metabolism is highly resilient to temporary disruptions in blood glucose but highly adaptive when this disruption becomes chronic.
4. Everyone has initial success on low carbohydrate diets, but they end up back where they started a few years later.
We see this occur all of the time. If not to ourselves, to others. Someone will try every treatment available and improve a few things, but continue to have metabolic abnormalities and obesity. Others have fantastic initial success, but slowly over time, begin to develop the signs of metabolic abnormalities and increasing weight, even while continuing their initial protocol. This is extremely disheartening and frustrating for many people. To add insult to injury, many are accused of cheating, when they haven't been.
We know that dietary interventions are similar to medications, in that blood glucose control begins to wane with time. The best results are achieved in the first year and then begin to degrade afterwards. This has been seen again and again with all dietary interventions used to treat diabetes. This is why the American Diabetes Association (ADA) does not stand behind any one diet as treatment, because they all fail long term. This is something that has been seen in multiple studies that track the effects of diets on disease and weight loss in the long term.
The reason for these failures are not well understood. Usually when failure is discussed, it's in the context of non-adherence. Though we know that diets are usually not sustainable, this problem also affects those that do adhere to them. A nail in the coffin to the whole "you are not adhering" sleight of hand is medications. Medications also fail with time, but can be increased or changed, as the disease progresses, to try and keep blood glucose controlled for longer. This somewhat delays the fail, but there will be failure nonetheless. So, the cause of the fail doesn't seem to lie in the treatments, but with the body itself.
It's almost as if the body appears to adapt to any intervention it’s presented with and goes back to its pathological state eventually. This has caused some people to come up with crazy strategies like the "You must keep your body guessing" BS.
4. Everyone has initial success on low carbohydrate diets, but they end up back where they started a few years later.
We see this occur all of the time. If not to ourselves, to others. Someone will try every treatment available and improve a few things, but continue to have metabolic abnormalities and obesity. Others have fantastic initial success, but slowly over time, begin to develop the signs of metabolic abnormalities and increasing weight, even while continuing their initial protocol. This is extremely disheartening and frustrating for many people. To add insult to injury, many are accused of cheating, when they haven't been.
We know that dietary interventions are similar to medications, in that blood glucose control begins to wane with time. The best results are achieved in the first year and then begin to degrade afterwards. This has been seen again and again with all dietary interventions used to treat diabetes. This is why the American Diabetes Association (ADA) does not stand behind any one diet as treatment, because they all fail long term. This is something that has been seen in multiple studies that track the effects of diets on disease and weight loss in the long term.
The reason for these failures are not well understood. Usually when failure is discussed, it's in the context of non-adherence. Though we know that diets are usually not sustainable, this problem also affects those that do adhere to them. A nail in the coffin to the whole "you are not adhering" sleight of hand is medications. Medications also fail with time, but can be increased or changed, as the disease progresses, to try and keep blood glucose controlled for longer. This somewhat delays the fail, but there will be failure nonetheless. So, the cause of the fail doesn't seem to lie in the treatments, but with the body itself.
It's almost as if the body appears to adapt to any intervention it’s presented with and goes back to its pathological state eventually. This has caused some people to come up with crazy strategies like the "You must keep your body guessing" BS.
Why does this occur? It appears that the metabolic adaption to keep blood glucose, insulin and weight set points to high cannot be reversed in the long term. This appears to be the result of an inability to sustain proper blood glucose regulation over time. There are several causes for this and they feed off each other so its a vicious circle, so to speak. Metabolism is on a "death spiral".
- Being less obese - Continuing to have a high body fat percentage puts you at risk for metabolic disease. For some people, this body fat catches up to them regardless of their initial success in losing "some weight". This is especially true when remission dependence is relied solely on diet with no exercise. Many diabetics prefer dietary interventions, rather than exercise regimens and that simply won’t cut it. Body fat must be eliminated and replaced with muscle. High body fat continues placing a high insulin demand, on the body, furthering the disruption of blood glucose.
- Ongoing insulin resistance - Some people are unable to acquire insulin sensitivity of certain organs and tissues, because of high body fat, which continues putting a high insulin demand, on the body, furthering the disruption of blood glucose, which in turn causes more body fat. Acquiring "some insulin sensitivity", through lower blood glucose, is not enough. Ongoing insulin resistance only further exacerbates catabolic counter regulation, causing the body to make more glucose. It appears that age and length of illness determines this effect. Obesity and insulin resistance are time dependent diseases. A time will come when it will be harder and harder to achieve remission.
- Hypothalamic damage - A metabolism that doesn’t respond to treatment is one that will continue in its maladaptive state. Abnormal leptin expression, due to blood glucose and insulin abnormalities leads to hypothalamic damage, which causes the body to no longer regulate its fat mass, thyroid function and metabolic rate. This not only progresses the disease, it further increases body fat percentage. You can’t lose body fat if the brain does not see it.
5. Does extended fasting result in eating less?
This statement is based on two common misconceptions:
Misconception #1 - Fasting works because of caloric restriction.
Fasting works because of its affects on blood glucose which in turn affects insulin. This affects weight (water and lean muscle) temporarily. This is true of all diets, including caloric restriction. So, nothing really "worked" as your fat mass is never touched.
Misconception #2 - Fasting is a segue to caloric restriction.
This is false, as the person always over compensates when they eat again, making their calories at best even, or at worst, greater than if they would have eaten the entire time.
This is an effect of extended fasting and it's part of metabolic thrift. The body responds to extended fasting, as if it's caloric restriction on steroids. This is because it was not made to fast for very long periods of time and when it was forced to, it had to get fatter to survive.
As you can see, extended fasting did nothing but interfere with your blood glucose regulation over time. Over compensating or binging after a fast, always disrupts blood glucose homeostasis further so whatever your initial benefits were with "weight loss" will be hindered in the future with "fat gain".
6. Do ketogenic diets require a fasting protocol?
6. Do ketogenic diets require a fasting protocol?
Ketogenic diets are "fast mimicking" diets, because they fool the body into thinking it’s fasting, when it’s not. They do this through the release of ketone bodies and lowering of insulin. Both of these effects are interpreted by the body as “starvation”. For this reason, there is no need to incorporate a fasting regimen to a ketogenic diet, especially if you are obese, since the obese have an exaggerated starvation response. You can eat three meals a day with no snacks, in between, and fast for 12 hours, instead.
If including a fasting regimen is achieving results in weight loss and improved metabolic markers, then that’s great, but fasting is not required for these diets. For some, fasting alongside these diets, results in adverse health effects. So, if the ketogenic diet is not giving you results, instead of blaming the diet, watch your fasting.
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