Scientists may have discovered keto longevity.
Researchers at Stanford University have found that the keto or ketogenic diet makes muscle stem cells better able to handle stress. Similar effects have been found on a fasting diet. The findings were published in the journal Cellular metabolism.
“As we age, we experience slower and less complete healing of our tissues,” said Dr. Thomas Rando, a professor of neurology at Stanford, told the university. “We wanted to understand what controls that regenerative capacity and how fasting affects this process. We found that fasting induces resilience in muscle stem cells so that they survive during deprivation and are available to repair muscle when nutrients are available again.”
The ketogenic diet focuses on high-fat, low-carb intake and it supposedly puts the body into a unique state, known as ketosis, where it burns excess fat instead of carbohydrates.
In the studyFasting-like protective effects were achieved by feeding mice a ketogenic diet or by giving them ketone bodies produced during ketosis.
“Ketone bodies arise when the body uses fat for energy, but they also push stem cells into a resting state that protects them during deprivation,” Rando said. “In this state, they are protected from environmental stress, but they are also less able to regenerate damaged tissue.”
some have questioned how healthy, nutritionally balanced, and sustainable the meal plan is in the long run, given that the ketogenic diet food list contains many expensive, high-fat items such as red meat, salmon, and avocado. And the diet is known to have some strange side effects.
But, the positive keto reviews tout it as a great way to lose weight and keep it off. This new research should provide proponents with more winning talking points.
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