Keto

You may have never heard of metabolic syndrome before. In fact, many doctors don’t even know what it is because it’s a relatively new concept. When we look at heart disease risk factors, metabolic syndrome is a risk factor that’s much stronger than the traditional way of looking at a

The keto diet is not a new concept The low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is best known for its effect on helping people lose weight. In fact, it was discovered almost 150 years ago that if you took carbohydrates (sugars and starches) out of the diet, you would lose weight. It was

Keto and blood lipids When you do a keto lifestyle, your metabolism changes because your body is now burning fat for its primary fuel. Burning fat for fuel means that you are also burning ketones, and ketones substitute for glucose in most of the cells where glucose was used before

We need to talk about what constipation really is and what it isn’t. What is constipation? Most people come to me thinking that having a bowel movement less often than they’re used to is constipation – but that’s not constipation. Some people come to me worried that they’re not having

If people want to avoid vegetable and seed oils and get most of their fat from animal sources, that’s fine, but we know that this is not necessary. Thousands of people have had great success with low-carb and keto diets – whether it be for weight loss or reversing type

Are you distracted by diet information on the internet? The internet can be confusing I work at Duke University. I’ve been there since 1990, studying low-carb keto diets since 1998. I find that a lot of people come to me with the darndest questions. Many of these questions come from

A recent study has come out saying dietary fat is bad. There will probably be more coming that say dietary fat is bad and there have been many before that say that dietary fat is bad. I don’t believe them. I’ll tell you why. Context: the Atkins diet Years ago,

I’ve been helping people lose weight and reverse diabetes and other metabolic problems at Duke University now for over 20 years, starting with our initial research and now with the clinical care that we give. It strikes me that the fundamental principle that’s missing in the knowledge of people coming

Keto can be simple If you’re just starting out or if you’re trying to get to those last 20 pounds after a long journey, this topic is for you. Does it depend on the context? On the type of food you’re having? No, it doesn’t. This is going to surprise

How to lose weight I’ve heard people saying lately, “I’m not eating enough; that’s why I’m not losing weight.” Does that make sense to you? To eat more so that you can lose weight? The reason is that there’s an internet urban legend that the less you eat, you go

Existing keto “brands” If you’re brand new here, you will find that there are many different “brands” of keto today. You’re also going to find a lot of different people selling these brands of keto. I want you to be very careful and find a source of information that is

Our program at Duke University was one of two programs that were starting to look at the safety of a low-carb diet. Starting in 1998, Dr. Jeff Volek (who was at the University of Connecticut, now at Ohio State University), was also looking at the diet. He’s not an MD

Alcohol is not forbidden You can drink alcohol on a keto diet – it’s not a deal breaker. I watch people expounding on keto diets and how you can’t drink alcohol or that certain things are “forbidden.” From my perspective, I use a method that’s been around 150 years, starting

Are artificial sweeteners permitted on a keto diet? In an ideal world, you would completely break your need for sweet foods, but this is a tall order if you’re dealing with obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or another cardiometabolic health issue. Artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin, will be less

I’m getting people complaining to me that when they did a keto diet, they had an upset stomach. I got into this area based on research. Two of my patients did a low-carb diet back in 1998 and I was curious about whether or not it was safe. I visited

The healthfulness of a keto diet in the long term depends on what you mean by a “keto diet.” If you follow a program that’s been clinically tested based on real foods – not these new keto junk foods that are everywhere – and you’re followed by a healthcare practitioner

If you think that a keto diet has to be difficult and you have to calculate macros, use apps, write down everything you eat, and buy expensive, fancy foods, guess again. You don’t have to do all that. “Lazy, dirty keto” is the phrase for what I’ve been teaching and

When following a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet, it may be helpful to work with physicians and other licensed medical professionals (nurse practitioners, physician assistants, etc.) who are knowledgeable about this way of eating. Any qualified medical professional can guide you, but those who are trained in the low-carb/keto approach will

Is there an association with the keto diet and muscle cramps? Any effective weight loss program will have some side effects. It’s not just the keto diet that can lead to muscle cramps. The main thing is that not everyone gets muscle cramps. People think of the cramps as part

What is “prescription strength keto”? Like any prescription strength thing, prescription strength keto is stronger than other versions of it – stronger than ‘over-the-counter’. Today, with the internet explosion of information about keto, I see people in my practice, as an obesity and an internal medicine doctor, and I use