Those who follow a ketogenic diet largely avoid carbohydrates. Can that be healthy? Researchers want to have found an indication that speaks for it.
- Olive and canola oil, cream, meat, bacon, avocados, veggies: all of these foods belong on the keto diet menu.
- Carbohydrates such as those found in bread, bananas or sugar, on the other hand, are taboo.
- In general, nutritionists recommend a balanced diet that doesn’t exclude any food groups – the keto diet falls out of the grid here.
- Nevertheless, in certain cases it should be a suitable measure to reduce obesity or alleviate chronic diseases.
- However, the attending physician must always decide whether the keto diet is a sensible measure.
Like many diets, the keto diet isn’t very well researched. One of the reasons for this is that every body metabolizes food differently. Also are Nutrition studies poorly controllable. If, for example, questionnaires about eating habits have to be filled out, it cannot be ruled out that the test persons are fibbing – and perhaps do not state the bag of chips from the previous day.
High-fat diet for flu: Keto diet stimulates mucus production
In a mouse experiment, however, scientists from Yale University in the USA were able to demonstrate a keto diet effect that can be used in the fight against Flu could be an important aspect. The results of the study published on the specialist portal Science Immunology: Rodents fed high-fat, low-carb foods for a week and then exposed to influenza viruses, were more likely to survive than those mice that were not on the ketogenic diet.
survey on the topic
The researchers around study author Vishwa Deep Dixit suspect the reason for the better Defense against influenza viruses The fact that the keto diet changes the way immune cells in the lungs respond. A high-fat diet is said to stimulate the formation of mucus in the inner walls of the lungs, which means more difficult conditions for influenza viruses. According to the study, mice that had eaten keto could have maintained their weight better, which is also an advantage in the event of illness.
also read: Criticism of the ketogenic diet: Why a high-fat diet could promote the development of chronic diseases.
Keto diet: effect was not very pronounced – further studies would have to follow
In order to be able to transfer the study results to humans, further research needs to be done according to the study authors. Also against the background that the positive effects on the immune system were not very pronounced, further investigations would have to follow. Seven out of 25 mice not on the keto diet and ten out of 33 mice on the keto diet survived the flu, as reported by Business Insider.