HARD TO SWALLOW

Diet loved by Kim and Kourtney Kardashian wrecks your body – raising risk of silent killer while destroying gut bacteria

Plus, the best diets across the world ranked

A TRENDY diet destroys 'friendly' gut bacteria while raising the risk of a silent killer condition that can make you vulnerable to heart attacks, scientists say.

Loved by Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, ketogenic diets - better known as 'keto' - involve upping your protein intake while cutting down on carbs.

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Keto diets aim to force the body into a state of 'ketosis'Credit: Getty
Kim Kardashian reportedly used the diet to lose weight after the birth of her sonCredit: Getty
Her sister Kourtney has also revealed using itCredit: Splash

Kim reportedly used the diet - hailed as a weight loss wonder - to shed a whopping 60 pounds after having her son Saint.

Her sister Kourtney also revealed her doctor put her on the diet to help her detox, adding: "My body never looked better than when I did the keto diet."

Researchers at the University of Bath said switching to a ketogenic eating plan can indeed result in fat loss.

But keto diet followers could be saddled with a host of additional side effects, they warned.

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Asking healthy adults to cut down on carbs for up to twelve weeks, they found that keto diets raised cholesterol levels and reduced number of beneficial bacteria in people's guts.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that's produced by your liver and also collects in the blood from the food you eat.

Having to much of it in your blood is referred to as 'high cholesterol' and it can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke if you can't lower it.

Lead researcher Dr Aaron Hengist commented on the study's findings on cholesterol.

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“Despite reducing fat mass, the ketogenic diet increased the levels of unfavourable fats in the blood of our participants, which, if sustained over years, could have long-term health implications such as increased risk of heart disease and stroke," he said.

By allowing only very low amounts of carbohydrates, the keto diet aims to o send the body into a state of ‘ketosis’ where it relies on a different type of fuel.

Instead of relying on sugar that comes from carbs - such as grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits - the keto diet relies on ketone bodies, which liver produces from stored fat.

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Finally, researchers found that the keto diet reduced glucose tolerance, meaning participants' bodies became less efficient at handling carbohydrates.

Professor Javier Gonzalez said this response may indicate that people could be more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes after coming off a keto diet.

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“The ketogenic diet reduced fasting glucose levels but also reduced the body’s ability to handle carbs from a meal," he explained.

"By measuring proteins in muscle samples taken from participants’ legs, we think this is probably an adaptive response to eating less carbohydrates day-to-day and reflects insulin resistance to storing carbs in muscle.

"This insulin resistance is not necessarily a bad thing if people are following a ketogenic diet, but if these changes persist when people switch back to a higher carbohydrate diet it could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the long-term.”

The authors concluded their study by saying while further research is needed on each diet to know how people might benefit from them, if people want to lose weight, they would recommend a low sugar intake one. 

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Dylan Thompson, who also oversaw the work, said: “The ketogenic diet is effective for fat loss, but it comes with varied metabolic and microbiome effects that may not suit everyone.

"In contrast, sugar restriction supports government guidelines for reducing free sugar intake, promoting fat loss without apparent negative health impacts.”

The government recommends that free sugars - added to food or drink or found naturally in honey, syrups, fruit juices and smoothies - should be restricted to less than 5 per cent of total energy intake.

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That amounts to about 30g of sugar a day.

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