Does the Keto Diet Help Fertility?

The ketogenic diet is all the rage these days among those who are looking to shed a substantial amount of weight quickly. Given that being overweight or obese can reduce your chances of getting pregnant or staying pregnant (having excess body fat is associated with a higher risk of miscarriage), overweight women who want to have a baby may be wondering if the keto diet could help them slim down and boost their fertility at the same time. The answer is a resounding “maybe.”

Related: Getting Pregnant, Fertility, and Infertility: Need to Know Info for Women and Men Under Age 35

Keto for Fertility: The Potentially Good News

A ketogenic diet — which is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates — puts your body into a natural metabolic state called ketosis. By dramatically reducing your intake of carbohydrates (its primary source of energy), your body is forced to become super efficient at burning fat for energy instead. Preliminary research suggests this shift can enhance weight loss temporarily, as well as help reduce systemic inflammation, which is important because “inflammation can reduce overall fertility,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RDN, a wellness nutrition services consultant at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in Ohio. What’s more, a properly followed ketogenic diet can help reduce levels of insulin and possibly better regulate levels of other reproductive hormones, including testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).

Diet Can Affect Body Weight, Hormones, and Ovulation

“Using a ketogenic diet to improve body weight can definitely help women who do not ovulate — release an egg — regularly, including those with polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS],” explains Rashmi Kudesia, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at Houston IVF, a CCRM Network Clinic in Texas. “If they lose 5 to 10 percent of their body weight, they may resume ovulating. ” (For the record, PCOS, a metabolic and hormonal disorder, is a leading cause of infertility in women.)

Related: 11 Health Conditions the Keto Diet May Be Able to Help — and 6 It Definitely Won’t

Possible Benefits of Going Keto for Women With PCOS

In fact, some research suggests that besides helping women with PCOS lose weight, the ketogenic diet may help rebalance their hormones — and in some cases help women who had previous infertility problems become pregnant on their own. In a small study published in the September–October 2018 issue of the journal AACE Clinical Case Reports, researchers followed four overweight women with PCOS who were trying to conceive follow a ketogenic diet, monitoring their progress monthly. Within six months, all four women lost weight, ranging from 19 to 36 pounds, and resumed regular menstruation (they’d all had irregular periods before they started the diet). The kicker: Two of the women conceived spontaneously without requiring ovulation induction.

Related: 8 Things Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About In Vitro Fertilization and Other Fertility Treatments

The Ketogenic Diet May Be Sperm-Friendly

Excess weight and a poor diet can affect men’s fertility, too. “The standard American diet, filled with refined carbohydrates and sugar, has been associated with poor sperm health, negatively impacting sperm motility, morphology [shape], and shape count,” notes Will Cole, a doctor of chiropractic and a functional medicine expert in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and author of Ketotarian. (Even a super-fertile woman is going to have trouble getting pregnant if her partner doesn’t have enough good-quality sperm.) “Conversely, diets rich in healthy fats, like nuts, seeds, and omega fatty-acid-rich fish, have been shown to improve sperm health,” Dr. Cole adds.

Related: The Weird Way the Ketogenic Diet Affects Your Period

Causes for Concern About Keto and Fertility

While a ketogenic diet may help a woman who wants to get pregnant drop pounds quickly, it would be best to use it “to kick-start a new health routine and lose weight” before trying to conceive, Dr. Kudesia says, because you don’t want your body to be in a state of ketosis around conception (or any part of pregnancy). Also, for a healthy conception and pregnancy, it’s important to eat enough nutrient-dense whole foods, rather than to restrict calories, Cole says. “Just because something is high fat and low carb or keto doesn’t mean it is necessarily healthy.”

Indeed, it can be hard to follow the keto diet in a healthy way, as many people eat foods high in saturated fat, such as butter and bacon, to stay in ketosis. Too much saturated fat can increase total cholesterol, which strains the heart, according to the American Heart Association. Not to mention, one of the health risks of keto is developing nutrient deficiencies, registered dietitians agree.

Related: The 11 Biggest Keto Diet Dangers You Need to Know About

Eating Styles That Support Preconception and Pregnancy Health

For these reasons, Rachelle Mallik, RDN, who specializes in reproductive nutrition in Chicago, believes that following the Mediterranean diet or a so-called Dutch-style diet — which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, whole-wheat bread (and cereals), and healthy fats — is a better approach to preconception because it has a more balanced distribution of macronutrients. “Glucose (a form of carbs) is the primary source of fuel for a growing baby, so a balanced diet is important during pregnancy,” says Mallik.

Carbs Are Okay, Especially for Preconception

So there’s no good reason to play the how-low-can-you-go game with healthy carbohydrates, she says. In fact, research published in March 2017 in the journal Nutrients found that so-called low-carbohydrate diets — where less than 45 percent of the day’s total calories come from carbs (by contrast, a standard keto plan typically allows a maximum of 20 percent of calories to come from carbs) — can lead to improvements in reproductive hormone levels and regular ovulation in women who are overweight or obese.

Related: A Detailed Guide to Following a Low-Carb Diet

Carbs Can Be Comforting and Counter Morning Sickness and Other Pregnancy Symptoms

Another concern: Adhering to a restrictive diet like the ketogenic plan could add to a woman’s stress while she’s having fertility treatments, or it could have a negative impact on her relationship with food, Mallik says. “To cope with nausea during pregnancy, women often reach for carbohydrates, like plain crackers or pretzels,” she notes. (By the way, for the latter reason, keto isn’t recommended for anyone with a history of eating disorders.) The keto plan would put those on the no-fly list; even if a woman has stopped the ketogenic diet by the time she’s pregnant, she may have a lingering sense that those foods aren’t good for her and feel guilty about eating them.

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Why Can Babies Be Keto (and Why They Shouldn’t)

Can babies be keto? With the ongoing popularity of keto diets, it’s a question we’ve been asked a number of times recently. It’s only natural for parents to want their kids to share their nutritional principles, whether you are keto, vegetarian/vegan, kosher/halal (not diets per se) etc.

However, given any kind of diet includes restrictions around the food you can eat, it’s important to examine the ramifications for a growing child.

And as with most questions regarding nutrition, the answer is not as simple as it may sound. Let’s take a look.

What is a Keto Diet?

A keto diet is one that’s low in carbohydrates and high in fats. Simple as that. Low meaning some carbohydrates are permitted, but not a whole lot of them.

So what foods does that limit? Apart from the obvious bread, pasta, pastry, etc, it also includes grains, vegetables, and fruit. These are abundant in vitamins, minerals, and complex carbohydrates as well as fiber which are all very important in a baby’s diet (in anyone’s diet really).

The importance of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of the 3 macronutrients that our bodies rely on. They are broken down into glucose which is our body’s primary source of energy and pretty much the sole food for the brain.

So for children, who are experiencing rapid growth, it’s preferable for their diets to include a readily available source of energy. Complex carbohydrates are important because they provide a slow release of glucose to fuel the body over a long period of time.

The keto diet’s limitation on carbohydrates also results in much lower consumption of fruit and veg. This can make it harder to get micronutrients which are crucial for maintaining good health and supporting growth and development.

“But breastmilk is keto”

Yes, breastmilk contains far more fat than carbohydrates or protein because it is adapted specifically to the baby’s needs. Especially in the first few months, babies have much higher fat needs than carbs or protein. In the first 6 months, fats act as the main source of energy (about 50%).

However, breastmilk also provides a host of micronutrients, specially curated by mom.

The percentage of your energy requirements represented by fats reduces as children get older. And from the moment they start relying on solid foods to get a balanced diet, the comparison to their breastmilk diet is no longer relevant.

So Can Babies Be Keto?

If you have a healthy child who has no distinct medical needs (and you haven’t been specifically recommended keto by your pediatrician) then no. It’s not healthy for them, even if you find it helpful as an adult. Nutrition is all about balance and nourishing your body. Restriction of any foods for no reason will lead to significant impairment.

Physiologically speaking, children are in the process of rapid growth and development (you’ve probably read that a hundred times by now) and limitations in any foods and nutrients can lead to significant health issues – now or later in life.

Particularly in keto diets, we are talking about carbohydrates, fiber as well as a whole list of vitamins and minerals found in fruit, vegetables, grains, and legumes.

Possible side-effects of keto diets

• Impaired growth
• Low blood sugar
• Hyperlipidemia (elevated fats in the blood which can cause cholesterol problems)
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance
• Digestive issues (e. g. constipation)

Why Are Some Children On A Keto Diet?

The keto diet was initially adapted to treat specific severe illnesses. Particularly epilepsy. Studies have shown that children with epilepsy who are on a keto diet have a significantly lower seizure rate.

However, even then, it does not have the same effect on all epileptic children. This is why a keto diet for a child should be prescribed by a doctor.

There is also ongoing research into its potential uses in other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease as well as ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) but this is not yet conclusive (some .

Final Note

So can babies be keto? In general, if you have a healthy term baby who is reacting badly to any particular food or food group, there shouldn’t be any limitations in their nutrition.

Personal preferences are another story but each parent, when making the choice to exclude a food or food group from the nutrition of a healthy child should keep in mind that nutritional needs should be met first with food before you consider supplementing.

If you believe a keto diet would be helpful for your child nonetheless, make sure you speak to your doctor and a nutritionist before you do!

Have you ever tried a keto diet for yourself? Let us know how you felt while on it in the comments below.

Resources

• Food for Thought: The Ketogenic Diet and Adverse Effects in Children
• Ketogenic Diet and Epilepsy: What We Know So Far
• Ketogenic diet for treatment of epilepsy
• Role of Ketogenic Diets in Neurodegenerative Diseases

〚 What you need to know about keto while pregnant (or planning)? 〛Babystart Official Distributor

January 26, 2020

Keto — short for the ketogenic diet (KD) — is a nutritional trend that has been touted as a “miracle diet” and as a healthy eating plan to fix, well, almost everything.

There is no doubt that most people – even pregnant women – probably need to eat fewer simple carbohydrates and less sugar. But you may wonder if the keto diet, which is a high-fat, very-low-carb diet, is safe during pregnancy.

We know you’re trying to be healthy while you’re “eating for two” (though don’t take it literally). But is pregnancy the right time to be on a keto diet — or any trendy diet?

You may question the following: a balanced diet is even more important when you are pregnant. Your growing body and baby need a variety of colorful foods that can be used as fuel and building blocks.

Let’s take a closer look at keto and pregnancy.

On a keto diet, you are usually allowed to eat a lot of meat and fat, but less than 50 grams (g) of carbohydrates per day is about one universal bagel or two bananas in 24 hours!

The diet also has an unusually high fat requirement. This means that on a 2,000-calorie-per-day keto diet, each meal could have:

• 165 grams of fat
• 40 g carbohydrates
• 75 g protein

The idea behind the keto diet is that getting most of your calories from fat helps you burn fat naturally. (Carbohydrates are easier for the body to use as fuel. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, they are primarily used for energy.)

The keto diet should help your body switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat for energy. This state is called ketosis. Burning more fat for energy can help you lose weight—at least in the short term. Simple, right?

Risk for pregnant women: nutritional deficiencies

Achieving a state of fat burning (ketosis) is not as easy as it seems. Even if you’re not pregnant, it can be difficult to follow a keto diet properly or even know if you’re in ketosis.

No carbohydrates in this diet, including fruits and most vegetables that contain natural sugar. Too much food can give you more carbs than keto allows. For example, 1 cup of broccoli contains about 6 grams of carbohydrates.

But pregnant women need bright fruits and vegetables—rich in vitamins, iron, and folate—to nourish their growing baby. Vegetables also contain fiber — a known possible deficiency on keto — that can help with constipation during pregnancy.

In fact, some nutrition experts recommend that supplements be taken on the keto diet.

If you are on a keto diet, you may be low:

• Magnesium
• B vitamins
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E

Prenatal vitamins – essential during pregnancy – provides additional nutrients. But it is best to add these vitamins and minerals to food. During pregnancy, you need even higher doses of these nutrients as you and your baby grow rapidly.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to problems in your child’s growth and development. Vital nutrients for your child include:

• vitamin D for healthy bones and teeth
• vitamin E for muscle and blood health
• vitamin B-12 for a healthy spinal cord and nerves
• folic acid for a healthy spinal cord (also to prevent a neural tube condition in children called spina bifida)

Pregnancy Risk: Saturated Fat

Protein is part of the keto diet, but most keto diets do not differentiate between healthy, lean protein and high-saturated-fat types such as beef and pork. In fact, because fat is so encouraged, the diet can actually force people to eat more unhealthy meats, as well as oils, butter, and lard.

Make no mistake, healthy fats are essential for your growing child. But too much saturated fat can cause health problems like high cholesterol, which puts a strain on your heart and therefore your pregnancy.

The keto diet also doesn’t stop you from eating meat sandwiches like hot dogs, bacon, sausages and salami. There are chemicals and dyes added to this meat that can be harmful to your tiny, growing baby or your body.

Side effects

For some people, the keto diet causes so many side effects that they even have a name. “Keto flu” includes side effects such as:

• fatigue
• dizziness
• nausea
• vomiting
• dehydration
• swelling
• abdominal pain
• gas contamination
• constipation
• diarrhea
• high cholesterol
• headaches
• bad breath
• muscle cramps

Pregnancy has its own (very normal) side effects which may include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, nasal congestion and pain. You definitely don’t need to add the keto flu or stomach ache to this.

Is the keto diet good for children? » Klintsy-media

Read: 818

The keto diet is gaining popularity, and many people are starting to forget about carbohydrates and switch to fat. According to nutritionists, dieting helps you lose weight by causing your body to burn more fat for energy.

The keto diet has become such a fad that some parents have even started exposing their children to it. According to Google, “keto for kids” was the most searched in January and August of this year, and cookbooks called “keto kids” were published this summer.

However, nutritionists are reluctant to subject their children to such a strict regimen, especially if they are teenagers or younger. According to Rachel Hartley, the diet is healthy, but the child should be closely monitored by a professional.

Parents should pay attention to the regime because children need different amounts of nutrients, including carbohydrates and fruits. However, this is exactly what is excluded from the keto diet so that the body can burn fat in an attempt to gain energy.

In this way, it is much easier to burn extra pounds, and this leads to weight loss. However, the diet includes the so-called. The “keto flu” that causes nausea, fatigue and nervousness.

This is extremely risky for children, as their bodies need energy to develop. “Lack of carbohydrates is not good for children. This robs the brain of fuel, and this can lead to difficulty concentrating. Which negatively affects their performance at school and in various physical activities,” said Rachel Hartley.

Cutting out carbohydrates also means cutting back on foods like fruits, grains, and even potatoes. However, it limits the intake of vitamin B, potassium and magnesium. Fiber is also important for a child’s body and is found in forbidden grains.

According to nutritionists, if you want your child to lose weight, it is better to give up sweets, chips, and not remove important nutrients such as fruits and vegetables. However, weight loss should be agreed with a specialist.

Another argument against the keto diet for children is research that severe restrictions lead to eating disorders.

When you teach your child a strict diet, you tell him that food is bad, you make him feel ashamed of his body. It’s wrong to teach him how to eat right, and not starve,” says nutritionist Brigitte Zetlin.

Experts advise parents to prepare healthy meals instead of dieting and restricting carbohydrate intake.

Even if adults are on a keto diet, they should always have something outside of the kids regimen at home. This may be a big temptation for you, but a small body needs carbohydrates to produce important energy.

Record tags: #children#diet#keto diet#mode

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