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Here are some of this lifestyle's health benefits and the list continues to grow as they're proven by medical studies. • Lower Blood Sugar Switching from glucose as the main fuel source to the ability to utilize fat and ketones as fuel means a pre-diabetic or even a type 2 diabetic no longer has to worry about excess blood sugar levels. There are known cases of type 2 diabetics totally doing a reversal. • Cardiovascular Disease Even though the ketogenic diet is a diet high in fat, it will not raise your cholesterol or increase your risk for heart disease. Heart disease is caused by inflammation, influenced mostly by the intake of trans fats and sugar (carbs!), not by heart-healthy fats. • Cancer Fighting Cancer cells feed off of sugar. The reason the ketogenic diet is effective as a natural cancer treatment is that the cancer cells are starved of the sugar that feeds them and their ability to multiply. They essentially starve to death. • Epilepsy The ketogenic diet has long been successfully used with those suffering from epilepsy. The ketogenic diet was actually first developed in 1921 to treat drug resistant epilepsy in children. • Increased Brain Function Many people point to the effects on their cognitive function: improved brain function, clarity of thought, memory recall, improved learning skills, etc. The brain (and heart) run at least 25% more efficiently on ketones than blood sugar. • Alzheimer's Research has established a strong link between blood sugar disorders and the various dementia stages. The most dominate blood sugar disorders are insulin resistance and diabetes --this link is so obvious that researchers have labeled Alzheimer's disease as "type 3 diabetes. • Mood Stabilizer There are numerous reports of ketosis helping with mood stabilization in individuals suffering from bipolar disorders. Autism also improves with a ketogenic diet. • Parkinson's disease People who have Parkinson's are showing promising improvements. It is theorized that ketone bodies may bypass the pathway in the brain that is disrupted and support other vital energy pathways. Ketone bodies have been shown in animal studies to mend neurons. Ketogenic diets have also been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the brain. • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) People are reporting that they improve, if not recover from IBS, when switching to the ketogenic diet. This makes sense since wheat and grains are eliminated from your diet, which appears to be a large contribution to people suffering from IBS. • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCOS often occurs alongside insulin resistance. It causes a range of hormonal issues in woman, including infertility problems. • Heartburn This is another problem that has a base cause from eating grain based foods, particularly gluten grains such as wheat, rye and barley, and sugar. • Fatty Liver Disease (non-alcoholic) The ketogenic diet induces the metabolic system into a state of ketosis, in which fat cells are used for your energy needs. This eliminates the fatty build-up in the liver. • Migraines Many people who suffer from migraines have reported great results when switching from a conventional high carb diet to an ultra-low carb ketogenic diet. • Decreased Pain & Lowered Inflammation Ketosis has been shown to have anti- inflammatory properties throughout the entire body, while also assisting with pain relief. • Stable Energy Levels Energy levels become stable throughout the day. No mid-afternoon crashes and no cravings for sugary and grain-based products such as breads, cookies, etc. • Acne There is a lot of emerging evidence showing that high glycemic foods can stimulate acne outbreaks. Since the ketogenic diet stays away from high GI foods it makes sense that acne should improve. • Hunger Fat is naturally more satisfying and ends up leaving us in a satiated state for longer periods of time than carbohydrates do. • General Health Studies have shown that following a ketogenic diet leads to improved cholesterol levels, decreased triglyceride levels, decreased weight and fat mass, and countless other benefits. As you can see, there is quite a bit of evidence to indicate that ketosis can drastically benefit your health. You don't have to commit to such a strict ketogenic diet to reap the gains. If you switch to a nutrient- dense, carb smart fueling (no processed carbs), high fat, and moderate protein diet, you will definitely notice a difference. Here are a few resources you can refer to in order to learn more about the benefits of a keto diet. Book: Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore; Website: www.dietdoctor.com --a team of Swedish doctors educating people and promoting keto; Movies: CarbLoaded: A Culture Dying to Eat and Cereal Killers. ML