The keto diet has been all the rage. You’ve probably heard friends and family talking about the keto diet. Some of you might be surprised that the keto diet seems to change the microbes in your gut. Why is that so surprising? It’s surprising because your gut is the first line of defense against anything that rages the body. You see, your immune system and your digestive system work together to protect your body. Anything that changes the digestive system one way or another is vital since it can mean the difference between being healthy and unhealthy. The first defense your body has of all that’s attacking you is the immune system, and that’s why these new findings of the keto diet are so astonishing.
What is the keto diet?
Let’s first talk about what the keto diet is so you can understand what’s going on. The keto diet is a diet that focuses primarily on eating high-fat foods. Every day you drastically cut back the number of carbohydrates that you eat to almost none. You eat small amounts of protein, and most of the calories you get come in the form of fat. The keto diet is right up your alley if you’re the type of person who loves fatty foods. Fatty foods are an essential part of the keto diet, and you’ll eat them all day long if you follow it carefully.
Why do people eat almost all fat on the keto diet?
Well, we’re not going to get into the nuts and bolts of the diet here. Let’s say that you want to eat mostly fat because you want to kickstart a process called ketosis. What is ketosis? Ketosis is the process in which your body burns stored fat instead of carbohydrates. Your body wants to burn carbohydrates as fuel, but can’t because you’re not eating them. Your body burns fat instead, and that’s why so many people on the keto diet lose weight. Ketosis burns up your fat deposits and uses them as energy as if they were carbohydrates.
The keto diet does a number on microbes in your gut
Researchers have found that studying stool samples in which people on the keto diet experience a change in their gut microbes. What are microbes? Make sure you’re sitting down for this since it might be shocking to some of you. Your digestive system is full of living creatures that do a variety of things. Those who are on the keto diet experience an explosion of different microbes in their guts. That means the living creatures inside you are different. Your microbes are components of your digestive system that play an important role in your overall health.
The jury is still out if the change in microbes has an impact on health
More testing needs to be done to know if the changes in microbes affect the dieter’s health. It would make sense if the person on the keto diet experienced differences in their health after a change in microbes. Are those changes positive or negative? More research is needed to know the answer to that question. Anything that makes an obese person lose weight is a good thing, and if the keto diet achieves that, then whatever impact on the microbes might not be so critical.