HYDERABAD: Consuming high-fat ketogenic foods as a replacement to regular carbo-heavy meals to cut weight is the new fad. This is not just in Hyderabad or in India, but across the world. Unfortunately, this type of unregulated dietary habit is leading to numerous health hazards. Social media too is abuzz with instances related to the negative impacts of such not-so-recommended food habits.
According to the patient-profiling and assessment done by a team of experts at DocOnline, more men than women are picking keto-type dietary habits. Over 90% of men and women who randomly stop eating carbohydrates do so without any medical consultation. These people do not know if their body type can sustain the radical dietary regimen.
Commenting on the dietary practices, Dr Prasoona Katreddy, consultant physician, DocOnline, said, “Transitioning from burning carbs to burning fat takes about two weeks. So while beginning keto or related diets, the body is not in ketosis yet. This means that the human body is still using stored glucose for fuel rather than ketones, and this is not a healthy sign at all! And because carbohydrate intake is restricted, the amount of stored glucose (or energy) is limited, which can cause fatigue soon.”
Some people experience symptoms such as brain fog, headaches, chills, and a sore throat during this transition. These symptoms are collectively referred to as “the keto flu”, and a large section of people who follow these high-fat diets are not aware of these ill-effects.
Speaking further on the necessary steps to be taken, Dr Syed Abrar Kareem, consultant physician at DocOnline said, “There are healthy ways to lose weight. Regular walking/jogging is the simplest and most recommended way to keep weight under check. As a doctor, I would tell those wanting to cut weight to lead an active and not a sedentary lifestyle, and this will do a lot of good in the long run. Unregulated dietary practices are too risky to follow.”