Health experts explain how keto and hormones, especially for women, may not work well together.
Here’s how the diet could affect fertility.
Ive been doing keto for months and at first, the weight was falling off me so easily.
But now Im gaining it back.
I have no idea what happened!
Dr. Turner recalls the woman saying.
licensed herbalist and acupuncturist
Hold up, whats keto again?
Check out this video for all the need-to-know intel:
This isnt just something keto haters are warning about.
They also developed impaired glucose intolerance, a sign of pre-diabetes.
Advocates of it point to the fact that the eating plan champions healthy fats,which do exactly that.
Cutting back on simple carbohydrates and reducing sugar intake are also both connected to supporting hormone health.
She just thinks the ketogenic diet takes it too far.
According to Dr. Turner, cutting carbs very drastically can cause an increase in cortisolthe stress hormone.
No fruit, she says.
(Some variations, like the ketotarian diet,do allow for some fruitand more relaxed carb macros).
licensed herbalist and acupuncturist
This puts stress on the body, which raises cortisol levels, Dr. Turner says.
It can also affect the menstrual cycle in a range of ways.
Dr. Turner adds that some women may experience heavier periods and worse PMS because of the increase in estrogen.
Other women may experience the complete opposite and their period may cease completely or come less often.
For women inperimenopauseor menopause, the increase in cortisol and estrogen could make symptoms worse.
I do not recommend the ketogenic diet for women in menopause at all, Dr. Turner says.
This will help maintain muscle mass and prevent bone density decline, she says.
In fact, all three experts emphasize this.
Dr. Bhatia cosigns this.
And remember, protein is especially important for menopausal women, so this can be especially detrimental for them.
Because elevated cortisol levels have been associated with those health issues.
The same thing happens when you wake up in the morning after not getting enough sleep, she says.
Its also related to change of cortisol levels.
Higher estrogen levels suppress the thyroid in women, which can lead to weight gain, she explains.
When estrogen levels go up, thyroid activity goes down in attempt to balance it out.
Likewise, when estrogen levels go downsuch as during menopause, thyroid activity increases.
Its a very delicate dance.
Its a triple whammy, Dr. Turner says of the keto diet.
One is that it increases your risk of having high cortisol because of the carbohydrate restriction.
Two, its going to increase the production of estrogen because of the high fat diet.
This is why women will maybe initially lose weight, but then plateau or even gain weight.
Raupp says the strict macros on keto (particularly when combined withintermittent fasting) can create exactly this situation.
Hence the above-mentioned cortisol spikes, which subsequently suppresses the hormones that support fertility.
Of course, some women really do claim to enjoy benefits and long-term success on the ketogenic diet.
Nor is there substantial long-term research on its effects in humans.
This is one case where time will tell.
That is, if a whole bunch of let-down women dont first.
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