Ketogenic based weight loss programs, popularized by Dr. Atkins, have been with us for over 40 years. They are currently in vogue but can easily join the ranks of past fad diets that were once deemed “the silver bullet” to weight loss. But do they work? Ketogenic diets are a category of weight loss programs that emphasize high-fat, adequate-protein, and low-carbohydrate. The diet forces the body to burn fat rather than carbohydrates because it diminishes internal glucose stores to very low levels by simply depriving the body of carbohydrates. One of pitfalls of dieting is coping with perpetual hunger. According to a 2008 study published in the American Society of Clinical Nutrition, ketogenic diets have been found to reduce hunger. A 2008 study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine found that dieters who followed either a ketogenic diet, Mediterranean Diet, or low fat diet all lost similar weight. So, it seems that a ketogenic diet works equally well as other leading diets but may be easier to maintain because ketogenic diets reduce hunger. |