My Intro to the Ketogenic Diet
by Madeline Carson – Medical Assistant

Final Kick – Ankle & Foot

My first week at Final Kick Ankle and Foot Clinic has been a blast! Dr. Sekulic has introduced me to several entertaining, yet educational podcasts. Despite my bachelor’s degree in exercise science and nutrition, I feel like there is still so much I have yet to learn. Dr. Sekulic was recently discussing the benefits of the ketogenic diet, and how we can implement it into our treatment protocols for diabetic patients, or other individuals simply looking to optimize their diet.

I stumbled across a Stem-Talk podcast, with guest speaker, Dr. Jeff Volek. Dr. Volek is an expert when it comes to reversing Type 2 Diabetes with the ketogenic diet. Yes, you heard me right, REVERSING DIABETES! Now this is certainly worth implementing into my patient education. Below I outlined the highlights of the podcast. I can’t wait to do a bit more research on the diet.

Dr. Jeff Volek is the founder of Virta Health and he is in the middle of a two-year study that is treating Type 2 Diabetics with ketogenic diets. Virta Health has the goal of reversing Type 2 Diabetes in 100 million people by 2025.

If you haven’t heard, Diabetes is often described as the greatest challenge we face in the country today. Nearly 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and more than 80 million people have pre-diabetes. $300 billion a year is spent in health care costs, yet the number of newly diagnosed diabetic patients continues to rise each year. Virta Health may have found a solution!

Virta Health’s holistic program is based on the principles of nutritional ketosis. Studies have shown that the ketogenic diet is counteracting insulin resistance by allowing/enhancing the body’s ability to break down fats as fuel–processes that do not require any insulin. When Diabetics are put on a ketogenic diet, they are no longer insulin dependent, their HA1C goes down, medication use decreases, and glycemic control improves. And if that is convincing enough, these patients even lose all their unwanted weight!

Patients with Chromes disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis are also benefiting from the ketogenic diet, due to the anti-inflammatory perks. Emerging research is demonstrating that ketones have similar properties to hormones in the way they suppress oxidative stress and can further enhance longevity.

I was also excited to learn that ketones can also enhance athletic performance in endurance sports.  It appears as if ultra endurance athletes benefit the most from keto adaptation. A recent study showed that athletes who were keto adapted were able to preserve their muscle glycogen, and tap into their fats stores during performance. These athletes were also able process lactate more efficiency, which enhanced their recovery time.

Dr. Volek also touched on ketone salts and esters. I find this topic fascinating, so this will be a topic that I discuss in a separate blog post…

So what was the main message that I was able to take away from this podcast? Fat is our friend! The ketogenic diet is not for everyone, but it is a perfect reminder that we have an inappropriate stigma against the consumption of fats. The fat-phobic mindset is a real issue that has turned fat into enemy in our society. This way of thinking is due to the misunderstanding that eating fat turns into fat. The fear of eating fats in most people is so deeply imbedded, it is going to be quite the challenge to overcome. However, once an individual learns to come to peace with fats they will reap the benefits of nutritional ketosis. Always remember that fat is a necessary fuel component for any diet regimen. It is just as important a macronutrient as carbohydrates and proteins.