Kim and Kourtney Kardashian’s beloved diet is ruining your body – destroying gut bacteria and increasing the risk of the silent killer

By | August 6, 2024

A TRENDING diet destroys ‘friendly’ gut bacteria, increasing the risk of a silent deadly disease that increases the risk of heart attack, scientists say.

Ketogenic diets, beloved by Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, are better known as ‘keto’ and involve increasing your protein intake while reducing carbs.

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Keto diets aim to force the body into a state of ‘ketosis’Source: Getty
Kim Kardashian reportedly resorted to this diet to lose weight after the birth of her son

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Kim Kardashian reportedly resorted to this diet to lose weight after the birth of her sonSource: Getty
Her sister Kourtney also revealed that she uses it

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Her sister Kourtney also revealed that she uses itCredit: Splash

Kim is said to have lost 27 kilos after giving birth to her son Saint by following this diet, which is known as the weight loss miracle.

Her sister Kourtney also said that her doctor recommended she start the diet to help with her detoxification, adding, “My body has never looked better since I did the keto diet.”

Switching to a ketogenic eating plan can lead to fat loss, say researchers at the University of Bath.

But they warned that those following the keto diet may face a range of additional side effects.

When healthy adults were asked to reduce their carbohydrate intake for up to twelve weeks, keto diets were found to raise cholesterol levels and reduce the number of beneficial bacteria in people’s guts.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced by your liver and collected in your blood through the food you eat.

Having too much of it in your blood is called ‘high cholesterol’ and if you can’t lower it it can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Aaron Hengist, the lead researcher of the study, commented on the study’s findings regarding cholesterol:

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“Although the ketogenic diet reduced fat mass, it increased levels of unfavorable fats in the blood of our participants. If this continues over many years, it can lead to long-term health problems, such as an increased risk of heart disease and stroke,” he said.

By allowing very low amounts of carbs, the keto diet aims to put the body into a state of ‘ketosis’ where it relies on a different type of fuel.

Instead of relying on sugar from carbohydrates like grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, the keto diet relies on ketone bodies, which the liver produces from stored fat.

Dietitian Dr. Michael Mosley discusses the keto diet vs. the Mediterranean diet

Burning fat may seem like the ideal way to lose weight, but consuming fewer than 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day is necessary to prompt the liver to produce ketone bodies, according to Harvard Health.

For example, a medium-sized banana has about 27 grams of carbohydrates.

Published Cell Reports MedicineThe study followed 53 healthy adults for up to 12 weeks while participants followed a moderate-sugar diet, a low-sugar diet, or a low-carb keto diet that got less than 8 percent of their calories from carbohydrates.

Both the keto and low-sugar diets resulted in a fat loss of approximately 2.9 kg and 2.1 kg per person, respectively.

But the Bath researchers found that the keto diet improved participants’ cholesterol levels – specifically, it significantly lowered them compared to the low-sugar diet.

The keto diet also changed the participants’ gut microbiome composition, specifically reducing beneficial bacteria called Bifidobacteria, which are often found in probiotics.

According to the authors of the study, this bacterium can lower cholesterol while also inhibiting pathogens and harmful bacteria.

“Dietary fibre is essential for the survival of beneficial gut bacteria such as Bifidobacteria,” said Dr Russell Davies, who led the gut health portion of the study.

“The ketogenic diet reduced fibre intake to around 15g per day, which is half the amount the NHS recommends.

“This decrease in bifidobacteria may contribute to important long-term health consequences, such as an increased risk of digestive disorders such as irritable bowel disease, an increased risk of intestinal infections, and impaired immune function.”

In contrast, the low-sugar diet had no significant effect on gut microbiome composition.

The best diets in the world

The US World and News Report annually ranks the best scientifically supported diets that work around the world.

The panel of medical and nutrition experts specializing in diabetes, heart health and weight loss evaluates the health risks and benefits, long-term sustainability and evidence-based effectiveness of different diet plans.

The Mediterranean ranks first in healthy nutrition every year.

“It is one of the most well-researched diets, proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, improve brain and mental health, and reduce inflammation,” experts said.

The diet has been on a winning streak for seven years in a row after panellists gave it the top spot in January 2024.

It emphasizes eating whole, unprocessed foods, healthy fats, and plenty of plants, with ingredients like olive oil, whole grains, beans, seafood, leafy greens, and other vegetables.

Here are the top five diets of 2024, as ranked by US News & World Report:

  1. Mediterranean diet
  2. DASH diet – Short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, this is recommended to prevent high blood pressure. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy products, and limits foods that contain added sugar and are high in saturated fat.
  3. MIND diet – Combining the DASH and Mediterranean diets, focusing on foods that improve brain health to potentially reduce the risk of mental decline
  4. Mayo Clinic diet – A 12-week weight loss program that aims to create lifelong healthy habits
  5. Flexible vegetarian diet – Also known as a semi-vegetarian diet, it involves being mostly vegetarian but still enjoying a burger or steak on special occasions

Source: US News and World Report

Finally, the researchers found that the keto diet reduced glucose tolerance, meaning participants’ bodies became less efficient at processing carbohydrates.

Professor Javier Gonzalez said this response could indicate that people may be at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes after coming off the keto diet.

“The ketogenic diet reduced fasting glucose levels but also reduced the body’s ability to process carbohydrates from the meal,” he explained.

“By measuring proteins in muscle samples taken from the participants’ legs, we think this is likely an adaptive response to consuming fewer carbohydrates per day and reflects insulin resistance to carbohydrate storage in the muscles.

“This insulin resistance is not necessarily a bad thing if people are on a ketogenic diet, but if these changes persist when people go back to a higher-carb diet, it may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the long term.”

The authors concluded their study by stating that more research is needed on each diet to understand how people can benefit from which diets, and that they would recommend a low-sugar diet for those who want to lose weight.

Dylan Thompson, who led the study, said: “The ketogenic diet is effective for fat loss, but it has a range of metabolic and microbiome effects that may not suit everyone.

“In contrast, sugar restriction supports government guidelines to reduce free sugar intake and promotes fat loss without apparent adverse health effects.”

The government recommends that free sugars added to foods or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrup, fruit juice and smoothies, should be less than 5 percent of total sugar. energy intake.

This equates to approximately 30 grams of sugar per day.

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