As Silicon Valley trendsetters, famous actors, and online health sites tout the low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic, or “keto,” diet, scientists are working to study it – from how it impacts inflammation in the brain to its effects on weight and heart health, as well as any other potential health risks.
As Silicon Valley trendsetters, famous actors, and online health sites tout the low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic, or “keto,” diet, scientists are working to study it – from how it impacts inflammation in the brain to its effects on weight and heart health, as well as any other potential health risks.
Among the researchers studying the diet’s effectiveness and safety are Ethan Weiss, MD, and Raymond Swanson, MD, two UC San Francisco physician-scientists who have studied different aspects of the ketogenic diet.
The ketogenic diet tries to bring carbohydrates down to less than 5 percent of a person’s daily caloric intake – which means eliminating most grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, legumes and sweets. Instead, it replaces those calories with fat. That fat is turned into ketone bodies, which are an alternative energy source: besides glucose derived from carbohydrates, ketones from fat are the only fuel the brain can use.
Read more at University of California - San Francisco
