Keto diet could kill you – Public warned against indulging in viral diet craze

More and more people are joining the ketogenic diet train in a desperate attempt to lose weight. The ketogenic diet, popularly known as keto is a low-carb diet that turns the body into a fat-burning machine, forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. It was used primarily to treat refractory epilepsy especially in children, but in recent times the youth have latched on to the diet and are mostly on social media exchanging meal plans and engaging in challenges.

Popular foods for those on keto are low-fat vegetable like cauliflower and broccoli, cheese, avocado, meat and eggs, coconut oil, amongst others.  Several people have testified to the efficacy of the diet in aiding in weight loss, health and performance. However, health officials have warned the general public against jumping on the train, explaining that it could lead to life-threatening diseases like stroke, heartache, hypertension and high cholesterol.

Mr. Prince Baidoo, head of the Dietherapy Unit at the Tema General Hospital, issued the warning via an interview with the Ghana News Agency. He explained that a lot of pressure is put on the liver when carbohydrates are drastically lowered and fat is increased, leading to severe debilitating effects on the liver in the long term. He advised people who desire to control their weight to adopt conventional and healthy methods to achieve their goals instead of jumping on a social media craze and contracting deadly diseases in the long run.

Mr. Baidoo clarified that patients and children with intermittent seizures were put on the ketogenic diet for a while after careful assessment and in consultation with dieticians and other medical teams. He was openly baffled as to why otherwise healthy people would want to adopt a therapy diet because patients who are put on it have lost weight when it is actually the side effect of their treatment.

Source: DailyNewsGhana.net