How Keto and Low-Carb Diets Activate Autophagy

In recent years, the ketogenic (keto) and low-carbohydrate (low-carb) diets have swept the weight loss industries. Each diet has a unique focus—although both emphasize glucose restriction— with low-carb diets prioritizing reduced carbohydrate intake and the keto diet focusing on both higher fat and very low-carb consumption.

In this article, we'll look closely at both keto and low-carb diets to explore their effectiveness, potential benefits related to metabolic health and fat loss, and tips for those considering these diets. 

Uncover the truth about keto and autophagy today and transform your well-being.

Potential Benefits of Keto and Low-Carb Diets

Keto and low-carb diets involve glucose (sugar and carbohydrate) restriction to induce beneficial metabolic processes. When following these diets, the body breaks down fats into ketone bodies, providing an alternative energy source for the brain and other organs. This process, known as ketosis, promotes fat-burning and weight loss.

The classic ketogenic diet is an extreme version of a low-carb diet, reducing carbs to about 50 grams per day or less and sometimes limiting calories while increasing fat intake considerably.

On a typical keto diet, about 70% or more of daily calories come from fat, such as oils, avocado, butter, and fatty meat, fish, and eggs. However, the exact amount of carbs and fats needed to achieve ketosis varies from person to person (1).

The metabolic shift into ketosis can lead to several noteworthy health benefits, including (2):

• Weight loss: Limiting carbs can lead to quick water weight loss and even fat burning, especially for those dealing with insulin resistance or metabolic issues. Since fat and protein tend to keep you feeling full, you might consume fewer calories overall.

• Steady blood sugar levels: This diet helps maintain blood sugar levels and improve insulin efficiency.

• Improved cognitive performance: Ketosis can help protect brain cells and give your cognitive function and focus a boost. 

Both low-carb and keto diets are suitable for relatively healthy adults who are aiming to lose weight quickly and change their eating habits. They have also been effective in treating type 2 diabetes (3), although not type 1 diabetes (4).

By drastically reducing carbohydrate intake, 95% of people with type 2 diabetes can significantly reduce their dependence on insulin, helping to avoid spikes in blood glucose levels.

However, these diets are not recommended for children (unless under the supervision of a healthcare provider) or during pregnancy.

Overview of Different Low-Carb Diets

Below is a summary of low-carb diet plans to help you determine which is the most suitable for your health goals:

Keto Diet:

• Carbohydrate Intake: Extremely low (usually less than 20-50 grams of net carbs per day).
• Primary Goal: To enter a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
• Fat Intake: High (typically 70-80% of total daily calories).
• Protein Intake: Moderate (around 20-25% of total daily calories).
• Mechanism: By severely restricting carbohydrates, the body is forced to use fat for energy, producing ketones in the liver, which can be used as an alternative energy source.

Glucose Restriction:

• Carbohydrate Intake: Varies, but the focus is specifically on reducing glucose intake rather than overall carbs.
• Primary Goal: To minimize blood glucose spikes and reduce insulin levels, often for health conditions like diabetes or to promote metabolic health.
• Fat and Protein Intake: Can vary widely; the diet doesn’t necessarily prescribe high fat or protein, just a reduction in glucose.
• Mechanism: By restricting glucose, the diet aims to stabilize blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. This could involve limiting foods high in glucose (such as sugar and high-glycemic-index carbs) but might still allow for other types of carbohydrates like fiber or resistant starches.

Low Carb Diet:

• Carbohydrate Intake: Reduced (usually 50-150 grams of net carbs per day).
• Primary Goal: To lower overall carbohydrate intake to promote weight loss and improve metabolic health, but not necessarily to induce ketosis.
• Fat and Protein Intake: Can vary but often includes moderate to high protein and fat.
• Mechanism: By reducing carbohydrate intake, the body relies less on glucose for energy and more on fats and proteins, which can lead to weight loss and improved blood sugar control.

How Low Carb Intake Influences Autophagy

Autophagy, a highly regulated cellular process involving the degradation and recycling of cellular components, plays an important role in maintaining cellular health and promoting longevity.

Research indicates that a reduction in carbohydrate intake can stimulate autophagy by altering the body's primary energy source from glucose to fatty acids and ketones.

Ketones, particularly β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), activate pathways involved in autophagy induction, such as the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways, which are also well-known for their longevity properties (5).

Enhanced autophagic activity can lead to:

• Improved cellular function
• Normalized inflammatory responses
• Increased resistance to age-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Comparing Autophagy in Keto vs. Traditional Fasting

Both the keto diet and traditional fasting can stimulate autophagy through similar mechanisms. However, there are slight differences in their effects.

Ketogenic diets and glucose restriction induce autophagy primarily by promoting the production of ketone bodies like BHB and activating AMPK, SIRT2, and FOXO, crucial regulators of cellular energy balance and longevity (5).

Fasting triggers several important metabolic changes, such as the expression of specific enzymes, including sirtuins both SIRT1 and SIRT2, which play a role in cellular metabolism and aging (6).

While both approaches have their unique mechanisms, they ultimately converge on the common goal of enhancing autophagy and promoting a longer lifespan.

Benefits of Keto-Induced Autophagy for Health and Longevity

Ketogenic-induced autophagy can have several benefits for overall health and longevity, such as (2):

• Improving cellular function: Autophagy helps to remove damaged or dysfunctional cellular components, ensuring that cells continue to function optimally (7).

• Reduced inflammation: Autophagy plays a role in reducing inflammatory status, which is associated with numerous chronic diseases (8).

• Improved resistance to age-related diseases: Autophagy can protect against age-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer (9).

• Boost in longevity: By promoting cellular health and preventing the accumulation of harmful substances, autophagy may contribute to increased lifespan, as well as activation of mTOR/AMPK and sirtuins pathways (5).

Navigating the Transition into Ketosis and Autophagy

To successfully transition into ketosis and promote autophagy, consider the following tips:

• Consult with your medical healthcare specialist first to ensure a very low-carb diet is safe.
• Gradually reduce your intake of carbohydrates: Lower your carbohydrate intake over several days or weeks to allow your body to adjust and minimize potential side effects like the "keto flu," which can result in side effects like fatigue, headaches, and indigestion.
• Consume the optimal amount of proteins;
• Stay hydrated;
• Monitor your progress: Track your ketone levels using ketone testing strips or a ketone meter to ensure you are in a state of ketosis.
• Be patient: It can take several days to weeks to fully adapt to ketosis and experience the benefits of autophagy. Be patient and stay consistent with your dietary changes.
• Use supplements: Help your body to control glucose levels with Glucose Blocker and manage your appetite more easily, especially while fasting, with Fasting Tonic.

Combining Keto with Intermittent Fasting for Enhanced Effects

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you alternate between periods of eating and fasting. Common methods include the 16/8 method (fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window) and the 5:2 diet (eating normally for five days and restricting calories on the other two days).

When combined with a ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting may further reduce insulin and glucose levels, promote ketone production, and enhance metabolic flexibility. This synergistic effect can lead to increased autophagic activity, the activation of sirtuin pathways, improving cellular health, and even boosting longevity.

This combination therapy could be beneficial in managing various diseases through metabolic remodeling, successful weight management, and enhanced autophagy.

Misconceptions About Keto and Autophagy

There are several misconceptions surrounding the ketogenic diet and autophagy. Here, we address some of the most common myths:

Myth #1: Keto diets are unhealthy and unsafe.

Fact: When properly formulated, ketogenic diets can be healthy and safe for most people. However, it's essential to consult a healthcare professional before starting any diet, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

Myth #2: Autophagy only occurs during fasting.

Fact: While fasting is one way to induce autophagy, it can also be triggered by other factors, including ketosis, exercises, and enhanced with supplement use.

Myth #3: High-fat diets increase the risk of heart disease.

Fact: While some high-fat diets can be detrimental to heart health, ketogenic diets typically emphasize healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, and fish, which can actually improve cardiovascular health.

Potential Side Effects and Precautions

There are several contradictions to consider when following a very low-carb or keto diet. A low-carb, high-fat diet can be harmful to those with kidney, liver, bile production, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular problems. Thus, it's essential to consult your doctor first (10,11). 

Additionally, you need to choose high-quality ingredients for your diet plan to make sure you're consuming essential vitamins and minerals, especially electrolytes which can be lost at an accelerated rate while fasting or in ketosis. In other words, cutting carbs isn't an excuse to consume junk food and poor-quality fats and oils.

Regardless of your specific diet plan, consider utilizing our Glucose Blocker supplement for additional support. Our carefully selected combination of ingredients helps to control blood sugar spikes, allowing you to achieve the greatest effectiveness for weight management and longevity with your low-carb meal plan.

Our Glucose Blocker also combats premature aging by regulating volatile blood glucose levels, common in modern diets rich in processed carbs and sugary desserts. It helps maintain steady energy post-meal, prevents severe glucose spikes, and reduces glycation, inflammation, and oxidative stress—all key factors in aging. 

References:

1. Ketogenic diet for obesity: friend or foe? (2014). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
2. The Potential Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet: A Narrative Review (2021). Nutrients.
3. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes (2005). Nutrition & Metabolism.
4. Ketogenic Diets and Chronic Disease: Weighing the Benefits Against the Risks (2021). Frontiers in Nutrition.
5. Effect of the Ketone Body, D-β-Hydroxybutyrate, on Sirtuin2-Mediated Regulation of Mitochondrial Quality Control and the Autophagy–Lysosomal Pathway (2023). Cells.
6. The Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Autophagic Response to Caloric Restriction and Fasting (2023). Advances in Nutrition.
7. Autophagy: A Key Regulator of Homeostasis and Disease: An Overview of Molecular Mechanisms and Modulators (2022). Cells.
8. Autophagy and inflammation (2017). Clinical and Translational Medicine.
9. Autophagy, Cellular Aging and Age-related Human Diseases (2019). Experimental Neurobiology.
10. Kidney stones and the ketogenic diet: risk factors and prevention (2007). Journal of Child Neurology.
11. Low carbohydrate diets are unsafe and should be avoided (2018). Source: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Low-carbohydrate-diets-are-unsafe-and-should-be-avoided