In the 1920s, scientists discovered that the state of ketosis—when the body switches from using glucose to ketone bodies for fuel—effectively reduced the number of seizures in children with epilepsy. [1]  Why and how this works remains unknown. Nevertheless, the ketogenic (AKA keto) diet is often used to reach ketosis and is still prescribed as a pediatric anti-seizure treatment. Scientists are even considering it as a potential treatment for other neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and ...

As I start this blog, I’m currently in my sixth day of moderate ketosis. I’m feeling focused and energized—freed from my dependence on coffee. I embarked on a two-week vegan keto journey to see if achieving ketosis was possible following a vegan diet. And I discovered that it is, but not without its challenges. Why would I do this?  What are the health implications? Does the keto diet live up to all the hype? 

If you’ve been looking to lose weight, you’ve probably heard of the ketogenic, or "keto" diet. Supporters swear by the plan’s ability to promote weight loss without calorie restriction, while skeptics cite the strategy’s restrictive nature. Want our two cents? Sure thing. Here, we provide a brief background on the keto diet, how it changes your body’s wiring, and whether we think you should give it a shot.

The concern for safety is a common theme in diets that reduce dietary carbohydrate intake. The ketogenic diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet requiring less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day to reach ketosis, a metabolic state in which fat is utilized for energy instead of carbohydrates. In the first part of a two-part series on the ketogenic diet, we looked at the molecular basis of energy generation, ketosis, and the physiological response when the body starts using ketones and fats as ...

If you could tap into >40,000 calories of your fat fuel during endurance exercise instead of relying on your maximum 2,000 calorie storage of carbohydrate fuel, would you do it? What if it meant no more liquid gels, sugar-containing sports drinks or bananas to give you that energy boost when you're on the verge of exhaustion? If LeBron James did it. Was it really a wise choice based on current science?