Keto Fuel for the Heart holds the potential for Cardiovascular Intervention
Heart diseases remain the number one cause of death globally but the good news is that lifestyle modifications can make a huge difference!
A new study makes it more evident that ketone bodies might greatly benefit heart disease patients irrespective of how they get delivered to the heart. The keto diet endeavors to force your body into a metabolic state of “ketosis” during which ketone bodies get increasingly circulated in the body to provide fuel in the absence of glucose or sugar.
The researchers at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands have found that ketone bodies exert protective effects on people suffering from heart diseases.
What are ketone bodies?
They are the molecules produced by your liver from fatty acids during times of low food intake or prolonged fasting, or intense physical activity to provide supplemental energy to multiple organs. Normally, a healthy heart consumes little glucose as fuel. But in the early stages of heart diseases, there is a switch in glucose utilization which leads to starvation in heart muscle energy, which might lead to heart failure.
How do ketones benefit heart health?
The researchers opine that a failing heart reprograms its metabolism to depend on ketones instead of glucose as a fuel source. They also found that ketone bodies might have protective effects on common cardiovascular risk factors such as body weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose or blood sugar levels. Ketone bodies are also found to have additional heart health benefits such as improvements in endothelial and mitochondrial function, inflammation, and cardiac remodeling.
Further studies can help explore further if ketone bodies can be beneficial and used to treat and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Moreover, since ketosis mimics a fasting state in the body, losing even a moderate amount of weight can help heart disease risk factors. Previous studies have pointed out that keto diets might be linked to some improvements in cardiovascular risk factors like obesity and type 2 diabetes. A 2010 study found that individuals who focused on vegetable-based protein and fats had a 23% lower risk of heart diseases compared to those who ate a lot of meat.
We at Lo! Foods are working towards creating a line of healthy food products that will help millions of people transform seamlessly to a low-carb lifestyle. Our low-carb, keto-friendly products have been tested, trusted, and recommended by keto practitioners, dietitians, and restauranteurs alike.
References:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109721001947?via%3Dihub
Image courtesy: Pixabay
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