What side effects can I have with the keto or ketogenic diet?

to burn fat fast. It is a dietary restriction that seeks one thing: to restrict the presence of glucose in the body to force the body to use fat reserves and thus lose weight.

Specifically, the goal of the keto or ketogenic diet is to drastically reduce the amount of glucose (the main source of energy for the entire body) to ‘force’ the body. A very effective process to lose weight in a short time that must be scheduled and always supervised by a specialist, since it is important to control the duration of the state of ketosis in the body and monitor the possible side effects of it.

Specialists recommend following this diet between 3 and 6 weeks, always depending on the health status and goals of the person. Also, winter would be the best time to do it, because when you stop consuming glycogen, the body dehydrates. A symptom that can be accentuated with the high temperatures of summer.

Common Side Effects of the Keto Diet

dehydration This symptom, as we explained, usually appears shortly after starting the diet since the body loses water by stopping consuming glycogen.

Bad breath. In the ketosis process, small amounts of acetone are created, which, since it cannot be used as energy by our body, is expelled through the breath.

Muscle cramps. This side effect is due to the loss of minerals, especially magnesium due to increased urination.

Constipation. (especially in the first days) Due to the lack of carbohydrates that have a high fiber content and dehydration.

keto flu. It is normal for people who follow this diet to be more fatigued, tired and even suffer from muscle pain for a few days.

Increased uric acid level. A symptom that usually occurs during the first weeks, but that should stabilize over the days.

Low sports performance. The lack of liquids and salts causes the energy to decrease enormously. In addition, the same adaptation process that leads your body to burn fat, instead of glucose, to transform it into energy also causes lower physical performance.

Other side effects

People who follow this diet for a long period of time may have an excess of sugar in the blood (glycaemia), especially in the morning. Another effect that can occur with the keto diet is due to the lack of some types of nutrients in the body. For these reasons, it is important to perform it under the supervision of a specialist.