- Loved by celebrities, the ketogenic diet prioritizes eating healthy fats and avoiding carbs
- It restores hormonal imbalance in 10% of women with PCOS, a cause of infertility
- READ MORE: ‘Giving birth in middle age has made us better mothers!
Keto use could increase millions of women’s chances of getting pregnant, a study suggests.
The ketogenic diet—which prioritizes eating healthy fats and avoiding carbs—has been hailed as a powerful weight loss and anti-inflammatory tool.
Now researchers have discovered that it can also lower testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the leading causes of infertility affecting six million women in the US and two million women in the UK.
Too much testosterone interferes with the growth and release of eggs from the ovaries, making it more difficult for women to conceive.
The ketogenic diet prioritizes eating healthy fats and avoiding carbohydrates
The authors suggested that doctors should consider the keto diet when faced with PCOS patients struggling to conceive.
Karniza Khalid, from the Malaysia Ministry of Health in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who conducted the assessment, said: ‘We found an association between the ketogenic diet and an improvement in reproductive hormone levels, which affect fertility, in women with PCOS.
“These findings have important clinical implications, especially for endocrinologists, gynecologists and dietitians who, in addition to medical treatment, must carefully plan and adjust individual dietary recommendations for women with PCOS.”
The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of seven studies of women with PCOS who followed the keto diet.
They examined the diet’s effects on their weight and three reproductive hormones: testosterone, the female sex hormone progesterone, and follicle-stimulating hormone, which plays a role in reproduction in both men and women.
Women with PCOS who followed the keto diet for at least 45 days lost an average of 11 percent of their body weight and saw improvements in their hormonal balance.
Their follicle-stimulating hormone ratio was lower, meaning they may have a better chance of ovulation. The women also had lower testosterone levels.
Fewer carbohydrates in one’s diet means fewer blood sugar spikes, which have a knock-on effect on blood regulation and hormone production.
The controversial ketogenic plan is a low-carb diet that forces the body to produce ketones in the liver that can be used as energy.
Meat, fish, poultry and eggs are all allowed, as well as starch-free vegetables and leafy greens. Dairy, organic, whole milk is recommended for keto diets.
It involves limiting added sugars and white, refined carbs, and only a small amount of fruit is allowed.
Eating a lot of carbohydrates causes your body to produce glucose and insulin. Glucose is the easiest for your body to convert and use as energy, so it is believed to be preferred over any other energy source.
Insulin is produced to process the glucose in your bloodstream by transporting it around the body. Since the glucose is used as primary energy, your fats are not needed and thus stored.
Reducing carbohydrate intake puts the body into a state known as ketosis, a natural process that helps us survive when food intake is low.
This causes us to produce ketones, which are produced by the breakdown of fats in the liver.
The goal of the keto diet is to force your body into this metabolic state – essentially it’s a kind of starvation, but not of calories but of carbs.
However, experts say low-carb diets carry heart and cancer risks if you eat too much fat and protein.