Abbi Heafner

English 112- Argument Paper

Mrs. Carroll

April 12, 2020

Why the Keto Diet is the Most Beneficial Diet

The Keto diet is one of the most popular diets in America today. “The keto diet has become

increasingly popular as celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lebron James, and Kim Kardashian, have

touted it as a weight-loss regimen” (Yale University). There has been a constant debate on how

beneficial the keto diet is and how great it is for people’s health. The Keto diet is a weight loss diet that

consists of depriving the body of carbohydrates and eating high-fat foods. The diet is based on eating

healthy fats such as avocados, eggs, butter or dairy fats, and grass-fed beef. “It’s all about eating lots

and lots of fat and little-to-no carbohydrates” (Debunking the Keto Diet). The Keto diet is a good diet

because it has healthy benefits, it is a great medical diet, and it has amazing weight loss results.

The diet has left people with such great results that they have switched their diets to low

carbohydrates because they feel the healthiest while on the diet. the Keto diet lets fat into the

bloodstream to provide the body with energy. The process to obtain energy is similar to the process that

the body undergoes when someone has diabetes. “Ironically, the Keto diet creates circumstances similar

to diabetes that is out of control.” (High Fat, Low Carb Diet). When someone has diabetes, the body lets

glucose into the bloodstream because it cannot access the blood cells. Similar to diabetes, the Keto diet

lets fat into the bloodstream to provide the body with energy, but the body does not have

carbohydrates to break down the fat so the fat heads straight to the liver where it converts that fat to

Ketones. “Fats are a readily available source of energy; so, once someone is fat-adapted and in ketosis,
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they can stay full for longer and still have pumped up energy levels.” (ketogenic diet). This leaves people

with a ton of energy and helps them feel more energized than before. This diet has also become

beneficial in people’s health because it has reduced inflammation “Ketosis may actually help in reducing

inflammation in the body and make the process smoother and further helps in soothing discomfort.”

(Ketogenic Diet). The diet has been beneficial to those with digestive issues by promoting good gut

health. “Many who suffer from digestive issues may have an added advantage by following the keto

diet. Increased fat intake can sometimes boost bowel movement.” (ketogenic diet). This diet has great

health benefits that have helped many people with digestive issues or inflammation.

The diet has helped those with medical problems continue their life normally and not stress so

much. The diet was developed in 1920 to help aid children with epileptic seizures and give them a

second option besides medication. “The diet was originally developed in the early 1920s by a Mayo

Clinic doctor, Russell Wilder, as a way to reduce seizures in epileptic children, which it did, sometimes

more effectively than medication.” (debunking the Keto diet). The main treatment for epileptic seizures

is surgery so Dr. Wilder wanted to develop a diet that will help those who cannot afford surgery get the

same benefits without having the surgery. “Epilepsy surgery is one of the main treatment options for

children and adults with refractory epilepsy.” (Jyontindra). The diet has since became the safest way for

children and adults who have epilepsy and cannot have the surgery to continue with their life without

having the surgery. “The Ketogenic diet (KD) is being increasingly accepted worldwide as a practical,

effective and safe management alternative in children and adults with refractory epilepsy who are not

good surgical candidates.” (Jyontindra). The diet has also been beneficial in helping diabetics manage

their blood sugar. A diabetic always must worry about making good dietary food choices, but with the

keto diet they can worry a little less on what they eat. “The ketogenic diet shows promise in this effort,

particularly in the setting of type 2 Diabetes. When followed strategically and within protocol, it has

empowered patients to successfully manage and eventually eliminate their diabetes diagnosis.”
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(Chapela). The diet helps the diabetic to reduce his or her sugar intake by cutting out carbohydrates,

which turn into simple sugars which the diabetic body cannot process. “By adopting a ketogenic diet,

individuals consume a dramatically lower volume of carbohydrates-which can be as low as 10 percent,

depending on the keto method one follows-and therefore do not rely insulin secretion to move fuel into

the cells.” (Chapela). The reduction of sugar gives the body time to naturally reset and heal insulin

receptors along with reverse insulin resistance. This diet will also help with weight loss over the course

of time which can help with diabetes caused by obesity. Because most diabetics cannot have a ton of

sugar or carbohydrates the keto diet is said to be one of the best diets for diabetics. Before 1920, people

were eating high fat diets and were said to be some of the healthiest people. “Prior to the 1920s,

Americans ate tons of lard, butter, beef, and cheese but both strokes and heart attacks were far less

common than they are today.” (Bowden). By looking at research it is a common idea that keto has

helped with the reduction of disease risks. “the evidence shows it can have a dramatically positive

impact on reducing disease risk and outcomes.” (Chapela). The keto diet is mainly known as a weight

loss diet for those who want to lose weight quickly, but it is also a not so known fact that the keto diet

can reduce the risk of several diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease

(Henden). This diet has become a great way to help those who cannot financially afford all the

medications and surgeries to help control their illnesses and not be drowning in debt just so they can get

the help needed.

In 1920 while testing the diet on some of his patients Dr. Wilder realized that they were also

experiencing quick weight loss. After discovering that it was great for weight loss many other people

started to jump at the idea that it would help them lose weight quickly. The idea of the diet is to eat

mainly fats, moderate protein and little carbohydrates (ketogenic diet). By depriving the body of

carbohydrates, the diet sets the body into starvation mode which ultimately forces the body to eat away

at all the stored fat (Yale University). The body will eat away at that fat which will help the person gain
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more energy and also lose a significant amount of weight. People before the 1920s who ate this diet are

thought to be the healthiest people in America. These people had almost no health issues and were low

risk for a stroke or heart disease. When people think of dieting, they think of no sugar and getting rid of

all sugar, but sugar does not promote weight loss and by cutting it out nothing has changed. When the

body gets used to a certain kind of food it stores all that fat away and it cannot burn it. So, in order to

get rid of all the fat the person should switch their diet to high fat so the body will eventually get used to

the high fat and start to burn and metabolize fat quicker. Some people find that the diet is difficult to

stick to so dieticians have started to recommend “carb cycling” to maintain the diet. “A strategic carb

feast actually helps keep you in hormonal balance and prevents the plateaus that affect all diets.”

(Bowden). The United States has the highest rate of obese people in the world, which means more

people are looking for fast and easy ways to lose weight (A High Fat, Low Carb Diet). Therefore, the keto

diet is thriving is because so many people have been looking for a quick weight loss diet and now, they

have found it.

The keto diet is the best diet to take because it not only helps people lose unwanted weight, but

it also helps reduce the risk of any heart diseases. The diet has been most beneficial in helping epileptic

children and adults get the help they need when the family cannot afford for the patient to have surgery

and medicine is not working for them. This popular diet had been around for years but did not have a lot

of participants because it had not been thoroughly researched and was believed to be not good for

people’s health. Consequently, as this diet has been further researched it has been proven that it has

had amazing health benefits, great weight loss, and has helped those with uncontrollable illnesses.
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Works Cited

"A High Fat, Low Carb Diet? Dive into the Keto Diet." Courier - Journal, Nov 17, 2017. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1965033089?

accountid=10163

Bowden, Jonny,P.H.D., C.N.S. "AREN'T THE FOODS ON THE POPULAR KETO DIET EXACTLY WHAT WE

SHOULDN'T BE EATING?" Alternative Medicine, no. 42, 2018, pp. 16-17. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2262686216?

accountid=10163.

Chapela, Victor. "KETO POWER." Alternative Medicine, no. 40, 2018, pp. 14. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2262675164?

accountid=10163.

"Debunking the Keto Diet: Why the Crazy-Popular Diet Doesn’t Work." Chatelaine (Online), Aug 09,

2019. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2271737187?

accountid=10163.

Henden, Amalie. "Keto Diet: What is the Keto Diet? how does it Help You Lose Weight?" Express

(Online), Nov 30, 2018. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2139817688?

accountid=10163.

Jyotindra, Narayan G., and Suvasini Sharma. "Current Perspectives on the Role of the Ketogenic Diet in

Epilepsy Management." Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, vol. 15, 2019, pp. 3273-3285.

ProQuest,
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https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2327642964?

accountid=10163, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S201862.

"Ketogenic Diet (Keto Diet): Pros and Cons of Following this Diet." Qatar Tribune, Oct 05, 2017.

ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1947142069?

accountid=10163.

"Yale University; Keto Diet Works Best in Small Doses, Yale Researchers Find." Obesity, Fitness &

Wellness Week, Feb 15, 2020, pp. 50. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2353732300?

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