Is A Lifelong Keto Diet Sustainable?

We know that the keto diet is healthy for most people, and that it can boost our health with the speed and in ways most others cannot.

But, since the keto diet has only been popular for 10-15 years, people think it hasn’t been around long enough for us to know if it really is beneficial in the long term.

Actually, healers started using a ketogenic-like diet to treat patients with epilepsy years ago - and with positive results! It was introduced as an official treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s and is still used in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy to this day.

Of course, the question isn’t whether it is effective for epilepsy, but instead if the keto diet is healthy in the long term. I mention this example to make the point that the keto diet isn’t new, and it shouldn't be considered a fad diet but as a lifestyle.

One of the biggest criticisms of the keto diet is that we don’t have enough data about its effects on our health as a lifestyle. While there may not be a huge body published research quite yet, we are well on our way.

This is what the research says:

• Our genes adapt to the keto diet: A long-term keto diet increases the expression of genes that allow for more effective use of fats for energy. In other words, our bodies can adapt so that eating a high-fat low-carb diet is healthy.
• We lose weight and keep it off to never revert back to obesity.
• Offers support for a range of lifelong, incurable chronic illnesses, like type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
• Stabilizes cholesterol levels to reduce the risk of heart disease.

These are just some of the benefits of the ketogenic diet in the longer term - as of yet. As people take on the ketogenic diet as a lifestyle choice, rather than as a short-term fix, we will very likely continue to see more long-term benefits of the keto diet in published research.

It is important to note, however, that you need to talk to your doctor about following the ketogenic diet. There are certain conditions, like pregnancy and those that arise in complications with metabolizing, that are not able to follow the ketogenic diet. It’s also very important that you seek out support from a registered dietician to learn to eat a well-balanced ketogenic diet - getting enough healthy fats and micronutrients - to maintain optimum health.