Is the Keto Diet Good for Cardiac Patients?

Keto Diet for Heart Patients

Research has shown that a keto diet can show positive results on heart patients by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. But it is important to know that a heart patient should take the proper guidance of a doctor who has knowledge about the keto diet.

The Keto diet is a low-carb diet that focuses on the idea to get you more calories from fat and protein and less from carbohydrates. There are some benefits as well as some keto diet side effects one should consider as well.

Benefits of Keto Diet on Heart Patients

Studies and research that have shown that the keto diet benefits heart patients are based on some facts. The facts consist of the benefit of a keto diet linked with the problem of heart disease. In those studies, some beneficial elements of the keto diet helped with some of the complications of heart disease. Some of these possible facts are:

  • Due to heart disease, a heart gets inflamed because of the increased sugar levels in the blood. So, in this case, a keto diet can help in lowering sugar levels and maintaining insulin in the body by which heart inflammation can be managed.
  • It is necessary for a heart patient to make changes in his diet as diet is one major factor that can manage the complications. Now, it was seen that the keto diet helps in losing weight, lowers blood pressure and sugar levels, reduces insulin resistance, etc. On the other hand, the keto diet may include the consumption of saturated foods and animal products that can be harmful to some patients. This is why a keto diet should be carefully chosen for a heart patient. It may not be beneficial for all of them.
  • Another thing that was noticed in these studies is that the keto diet has several benefits in the short term like it decreases total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol along with increasing good cholesterol. But also, the keto diet in the long run may cause complications and increase the mortality rate.

Risks of Keto Diet for Heart Disease Patients

With all the studies and research we can see that there are mixed results of whether a keto diet is beneficial for heart patients or not. But if we talked about its benefits, we must also look at some risk factors or warning signs of a keto diet. Some of these risk factors are:

  • The Keto diet is restrictive and a heart patient gets stuck to just one type of diet.
  • You may lose weight while on a keto diet but you can also gain it back once you stop the diet plan.
  • A keto diet may help a heart patient in various ways but its effects can also get reversed in the long run or when the diet is not continued.
  • A Keto diet requires you to eat 80% of the calories from the fat which in turn is not good for the heart.

Should a heart patient take a keto diet?

If you are a heart patient, you need to sit with your cardiologist and a dietitian to decide what changes you need in your diet. Your doctor will tell you about certain food items to add and avoid but he will certainly not recommend the keto diet. It is to remember that what you are not eating may also increase the risk of heart disease.

In the keto diet, then you will avoid whole grains, fruits, and legumes, and you will lose dietary fiber in large amounts which are responsible to protect your heart. The benefits of a keto diet only remain for a short time but we all need benefits for a long time and live a healthy lifestyle. The doctor advises you to not stick to some keto diet or other diet that promises to keep your heart healthy. He just tells you to choose healthy food items good for the heart.

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