Although many haven’t heard of lipedema, it’s by no means a rare disease. Lipedema is a disorder impacting both fat and the lymphatic system (which removes excess fluid from the tissues), and almost exclusively occurs in women. There’s currently no concrete number of women affected by lipedema, as it’s often misdiagnosed as simple obesity. However, some estimates suggest as many as 1 in 9 women have the condition.

Poorly managed lipedema is chronic and progressive, and the effect of the disorder is multifold. Someone with lipedema may experience fat that is typically disproportionately gained on the lower body -such as the hips, buttocks, thighs, and calves – which is often tender and painful, especially when pressure is applied, as well as easy bruising in body areas affected by lipedema.

Once this “lipedemic” fat is gained, it can then become scarred. This results in nodules which causes a distinct grainy, or lumpy texture in the fat. Lipedema fat is also characteristically very difficult to lose from typical weight loss methods like calorie restriction and bariatric surgery, even if fat in other areas (like the torso) is lost easily.

The Difference Between Lipedema and Lymphedema

Because lipedema can cause swelling of the legs, it may also be misdiagnosed as a condition called lymphedema, a disorder that causes the lymphatic system to struggle with the removal of fluid from the tissues, causing swelling. This confusion can be exacerbated by the fact that lymphedema can also occur in the legs of those with more advanced cases of lipedema (called lipolymphedema). Although one can be mistaken for another, lymphedema is a separate disorder that primarily results from improper growth or damage to lymphatic nodes or vessels.

The two conditions can be differentiated by looking at how they affect the body. Lymphedema, for example, often affects only one limb, or if in both legs may affect one more than the other. If only lipedema is present, however, it occurs on both sides of the body and is symmetrical. Lipedema also causes painful fat and easy bruising in the affected areas, whereas lymphedema does not. Additionally, lymphedema causes pitting edema – meaning when a swollen area is pressed into it leaves a lasting dent, and if present in the legs, it may not be possible to pinch the skin on top of the feet (called a positive Stemmer sign). Lipedema alone, however, causes non-pitting edema – no dent is left when pressing into a swollen area because it immediately refills with fluid, and the Stemmer sign is negative as the feet are not affected.

Diagnosing Lipedema

Unfortunately, women with lipedema, if not properly diagnosed, may receive inappropriate or inadequate treatment. They may just be told that large legs run in their family, that they are not trying hard enough to lose weight, or that the pain they experience – such as when a pet or child sits in their lap – is imagined. These often-debilitating symptoms of lipedema, combined with a lack of support and understanding from those around them, potentially including their own doctor, may lead to anxiety, depression, or even eating disorders when typical methods do not reduce the lipedema-related fat. This makes the accurate diagnosis of lipedema all the more important, especially in the early stages.

What Causes Lipedema?

Currently, the causes of lipedema are unknown. However, an underlying genetic cause is suspected due to lipedema often being found in multiple family members, although no “lipedema gene” has yet been identified. Additionally, it is speculated that there is a sex hormone component to lipedema, due to it nearly exclusively occurring in women and because symptoms often first occur during hormonal changes – puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Some researchers also theorize that lipedema may be a connective tissue disorder, due to multiple abnormalities in connective tissue being observed in those with lipedema.

Treatment Options for Lipedema

Although there is currently no cure for lipedema, there are treatment options to help address the symptoms, improve quality of life, and slow progression. Because lipedema results in swelling, strategies to reduce the amount of fluid in the legs can be beneficial. This can include the use of specialized compression garments (like compression stockings) or pneumatic pumps, lymphatic massage, and regular exercise or activity to help push fluid out of the tissues. Liposuction to reduce the amount of fatty tissue or lipedemic fat, or lipedema reduction surgery to manually remove the lipedema nodules, can also be implemented to help with mobility and body image. Other strategies can include a supportive community and psychological interventions to help those with lipedema manage living with a chronic condition, deal with anti-fat bias, or other difficulties that may come with having the condition.

Recently, a ketogenic diet has emerged as an exciting new treatment option for lipedema. Initial research and many anecdotes suggest the potential for significant benefit of ketogenic nutrition for those with the condition. When used in conjunction with existing treatment options, ketogenic diets may provide a significant step up in lipedema care beyond what has been available previously.

How Does the Ketogenic Diet Help Lipedema?

Traditionally, it was believed that “diets don’t work” for lipedema, based on limited positive outcomes from bariatric surgery, calorie-restricted diets, and even starvation in those with lipedema. The typical outcome of these extreme approaches would be meager fat loss from areas impacted by lipedema, even if fat was lost from the upper body and face. This would only serve to accentuate the body disproportion and cause the intervention to be abandoned.

However, emerging research suggests that ketogenic diets may be helpful for those with lipedema – not only resulting in weight loss in some who haven’t found success with other methods, but also notably reducing other lipedema symptoms. For example, a recent case study discussed the results of nearly two years of a ketogenic diet in a 32-year-old woman with lipedema. She not only lost 90 pounds – she also saw improvements in blood markers, experienced less lipedema-related pain, and saw improvements in her quality of life. In other words, this woman found a ketogenic diet profoundly beneficial for managing symptoms of lipedema.

A pilot study examining the impact of ketogenic diets on women with lipedema found similar results. Like the case study, participants lost weight, experienced less pain, and improved their quality of life. Interestingly, after the ketogenic phase of the experiment, participants were put back on a higher carb diet. Although they didn’t regain the weight they had lost, their pain did return to pre-keto levels within a few weeks. This result suggests that the pain relief from a ketogenic diet may not have been due to weight loss in itself.

Although more research needs to be done with larger groups of women, these initial results, combined with numerous anecdotes, suggest ketogenic diets may be uniquely beneficial for those with lipedema as part of a well-rounded treatment plan. However, this does open a question as to why ketogenic diets may be helpful if the positive results are not just a result of weight loss alone.

One paper exploring why ketogenic diets may be useful for lipedema suggested several potential reasons. One reason given was that ketogenic diets have been shown to be an effective tool for weight loss in those who are overweight or obese, which may be useful for managing the progression of lipedema as well. It was also suggested that pain reduction may be due to a decreased level of inflammation in the body when eating ketogenically. This is supported by reductions in both pain and inflammation noted in a study of the effect of a ketogenic diet on chronic pain. Alongside these and other reasons, it was suggested that keto may help reduce swelling as has been seen in those with lymphedema.

It is also possible that some benefits of a ketogenic diet for those with lipedema may be directly caused by the ketones produced by the diet. One such benefit may be related to signs of oxygen being at unhealthy low levels in lipedemic fat, a problem called tissue hypoxia. Hypoxia can cause damage and contribute to the scarring of the fat. Because ketones have been found to be protective against damage caused by hypoxia in other situations, they may be beneficial for lipedema-related hypoxia as well. Beyond possibly providing some protection from hypoxia, research in mice has also found that ketones encourage the growth of lymphatic vessels. Because one function of the lymphatic system is to move fluid out of tissues, lymphatic vessel proliferation may directly help to reduce inflammation. If these effects also occur in humans, they may contribute to the reduction in swelling and pain seen in those with lipedema who follow a ketogenic diet.

What Women are Saying About Using Keto to Manage Lipedema

There are over 14,000 women with lipedema in the Keto Lifestyle for Lipedema Facebook group and the numerous virtual courses offered by the Lipedema Project and Lipedema Simplified. From these women, anecdotal reports of how a ketogenic eating plan favorably manages lipedema symptoms abound. Here are some of their comments:

“I’ve lost 74 pounds since I began last March and feel better at 40 than I have in my entire life. I’ve got more energy, and no aches or pains. I’m thankful every day that I found Keto.”

“I just took the Keto [for lipedema] course… I had a doctor’s appointment last Wednesday. And he said that I could start walking around the house without my walker or without my cane. You know, it’s one I’ve been working towards for so long that I thought I’d never be able to walk again. And here I am, I’m walking. I mean, it’s, it’s indescribable how incredible it is.”

“I’m sitting in economy class seating…wearing Levi’s jeans that I bought and never wore (purchased years ago!)….[the] KETO [Way of Eating] is the only way. I did not fit in economy on American Airlines two years ago–had to switch seats….down 21 pounds [in 8 ½ weeks]. I am sooo happy, I could cry.”

“I’m 1 month in today and down 20 lbs. But more importantly, I feel great, [I] have stopped completely my opiate painkillers, no random stomach aches which I used to get lots of, no headaches or migraine[s] which I also had frequently. My leg pain is much better, I don’t feel so stiff, and I have a clear head. Why didn’t I do this sooner!”

“I brought my sister in on the whole effort as well. And we have had so many wonderful successes… We’ve probably cumulatively lost about 60 pounds. Inflammation is wonderful. I mean, [it’s] way down… and the ability to move around — I can cut my own toenails! — and just to be able to be able to walk and to have the energy to do more things has been wonderful.”

“Let me start by saying just a few months ago I thought I was about 2 shakes from being in a wheelchair due [to] lipedema… but because of this way of eating this was my day. I swam for an hour this morning, went to Home Depot, and was in there for about 2 1/2 hours on my feet, and I have been painting the rest of the day… taking a small break, but have more to do. I can’t believe I have been able to do all of this!!”

A Word of Caution

There are certain relatively rare medical conditions, such as a deficiency in enzymes needed for using fat for energy, that would make it dangerous to eat ketogenically for lipedema patients. (See this resource for a list of conditions). Most of these conditions are identified in childhood, but consult with your healthcare provider.

Someone with lipedema may also have other conditions which may benefit from a ketogenic diet, but which require additional medical supervision. It is recommended that individuals be closely watched by their doctor in order to reduce or adjust medication as needed. If not properly monitored, individuals may experience potentially dangerous side effects from over-medication. The most notable of these include:
• Type 1 or 2 Diabetes (or on medication for diabetes)
• Hypertension
• Epilepsy
• Cancer

Why Ketone Levels Matter

Elevated ketone levels may be a key reason why a ketogenic diet can be so effective for managing lipedema symptoms. Even though there are commonalities, each woman experiences lipedema uniquely. By monitoring ketone levels, women with this disorder can begin to learn how various lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, and stress, can impact their symptoms. A blood ketone monitor can be a valuable tool in the process of discovering which interventions will work best.

Summary

Emerging evidence suggests that ketogenic diets are beneficial for the treatment of lipedema by helping to reduce weight and manage other symptoms. Though there are many possible reasons for this, more research is needed to help clarify why keto is helpful and which mechanisms provide the most benefit. Some possibilities beyond weight loss include helping to reduce the inflammation and swelling that can come with lipedema or simply as a result of the ketones themselves. Although the ‘why’ is still being explored, because lipedema can be such a debilitating disorder with a profoundly negative impact on those who have it, especially if it is poorly managed, ketogenic diets present an exciting development that may offer new hope to the millions of women currently struggling with this condition.

About the Authors

Leslyn Keith. Leslyn is a certified lymphedema therapist and has been treating lymphatic and fat disorders for over 20 years. She conducted a pilot study while pursuing her doctorate in 2015 that investigated the effectiveness of a lifestyle group that promoted a ketogenic diet for participants with lymphedema and obesity. Since then, she has written two books and published several articles about the effectiveness of a ketogenic diet for lipedema and lymphedema. She currently researches, consults, and lectures on lymphedema, lipedema, and obesity nationally. Leslyn is Director of Research and Board President for The Lipedema Project and an instructor in lymphedema therapy for Klose Training and Consulting.

Siobhan Huggins. Siobhan has been on a ketogenic diet for over five years and was diagnosed with lipedema in 2021, which led her to learn more about the science of nutrition for lipedema management. She has since become the research specialist and board director of the Lipedema Project, where she focuses on ketogenic metabolism, lipedema pathophysiology, and conservative approaches to lipedema. She has been an independent researcher focusing on metabolic disease, ketogenic metabolism, and nutrition for over four years, and has given multiple presentations about the intersection of nutrition and disease with a special focus on ketogenic diets.

The post The Ketogenic Diet for Lipedema appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Menopause is a natural, but often frustrating and challenging process for women. The hormone imbalance that usually comes with menopause creates side effects like weight gain, hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, and more. The transition from premenopause to perimenopause to menopause is hard enough on its own, but another factor can come into play as well: insulin resistance. 

Insulin resistance is when your cells ignore insulin, which carries blood-sugar out of the bloodstream and into storage in cells. When glucose cannot get inside your cells, it hangs out in your blood, causing high blood-sugar levels. High blood-sugar levels signal your body to produce more insulin to get rid of all the glucose. This cycle results in high blood sugar and high insulin levels (i.e., hyperinsulinemia), which can worsen menopause symptoms. 

Can switching to a ketogenic diet ease the transition through the menopause cycle? What role does nutrition play in this normal stage of aging? Studies show low-carb diets improve your metabolism, hormone balance, mood, and mental performance. They even combat insulin resistance, which means a keto diet may be an important tactic in outsmarting your most brutal menopause symptoms.

What is Perimenopause and Menopause?

Reaching the stage of menopause doesn’t happen overnight. As women age and near the end of their menstrual cycles, they go through years of what’s known as “the menopausal transition.” Perimenopause, the stage before menopause, happens when women reach their mid-40s to mid-50s. Perimenopause can last anywhere from five to ten years. During this time, menstrual cycles may become erratic and irregular. A dwindling supply of eggs in your ovaries causes your body to produce and release less estrogen. Hormones related to your menstrual cycle, namely follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), then reach abnormal levels. Menopause officially occurs when you’ve gone 12 months without a menstrual period and completes the full cycle of transition. But you may feel the side effects of menopause from perimenopause through post-menopause (or the time after menopause).

Symptoms of Perimenopause and Menopause

When you first enter perimenopause, you may not recognize the symptoms are related to a change in your menstrual cycle. But somewhere along the way, the obvious signs that your body is going through a dramatic change become too hard to ignore. The most common symptoms of menopause include:

• Weight gain (especially lower abdominal fat)
• Trouble losing weight 
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Mood swings, depression, and anxiety
• Insomnia
• Extreme fatigue
• Thinning hair and dry skin
• Vaginal dryness and low libido
• Poor memory, trouble concentrating, and brain fog

These side effects range from annoying to life-disrupting. And their impact ripples across your work life, relationships, and mental health. Many women report these years as the most challenging and depressing. But you may be able to lessen these negatives significantly just by changing your diet.

Keto and Menopause

As reputed nutrition coach, Thomas DeLauer, explains in this video, a ketogenic diet may curtail menopausal symptoms and improve your quality of life because it shifts your body into a perpetual state of nutritional ketosis, which means your body starts running on fat (ketone bodies) instead of sugar (carbohydrates). When you’re in ketosis, your body combats two significant issues associated with menopause: hormonal imbalance, which is responsible for weight gain and mood swings, and insulin resistance, which challenges your health with high blood sugar levels. Here’s how:

The Keto Diet Improves Insulin Sensitivity (and Lessens Insulin Resistance)

On the Standard American Diet, your body gets its energy from glucose, primarily through digesting carbohydrates and sweets. Then the hormone insulin shuttles glucose out of your blood and into your cells for fuel. If you’re menopausal or perimenopausal, you may experience low estrogen levels (a hallmark of the menopause cycle), and unfortunately, low estrogen levels can lead to insulin resistance. Ironically, however, so can high estrogen levels which predominate in today’s xenoestrogen-drenched world. The issue, however, is not so much high or low estrogen, it’s a problem with how the body metabolizes the hormones; it varies by the individual based on exogenous estrogen or xenoestrogen exposures (i.e. synthetic hormones) and epigenetic variation (gene expression), which is made more challenged by a high insulin load. So whether you are estrogen dominant or deficient, lowering your insulin is likely the key to hormonal optimization.

But studies show a keto diet lowers insulin resistance and increases insulin sensitivity (meaning the cells allow insulin to do its job). Additionally, although there aren’t yet many studies showing how a ketogenic diet affects the hormones of women in menopause, researchers have used low-carb diets to help women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to improve their insulin sensitivity and their hormone balance. PCOS causes insulin resistance, weight gain, and imbalanced hormones in women during their fertile years. These results show promise for using a ketogenic diet to remedy the same issues for women during the menopausal transition.

In one small study, five women with PCOS went on a very low-carb ketogenic diet (less than 20 grams of carbs per day) for 24 weeks. Researchers saw a 12 percent drop in body weight, a 36 percent decrease in their LH/FSH ratio, and a 54 percent drop in fasting insulin.

These results show a keto diet may balance hormones and improve insulin function. Both would benefit women approaching menopause.

The Keto Diet Suppresses Your Appetite 

Women in the menopause cycle have higher levels of ghrelin (aka the “hunger” hormone). Ghrelin alerts your body when you’re hungry. But high levels can mean you always feel hunger pangs and never feel sated. This slippery slope leads to overeating, extra calories, and creeping weight gain.

A ketogenic diet crushes ghrelin levels, leading to greater appetite suppression. According to research:

• • Participants following a keto diet in one study stabilized their ghrelin levels, which resulted in them losing 13 percent of their body weight and lowering their overall appetite in just eight weeks.
  • Limiting daily carbohydrate intake to 50 grams or less reduced hunger and appetite in another study.
  • Consuming exogenous ketones helped participants lower ghrelin levels, perceived hunger, and desire to eat in a different trial.
  • Replacing carbs with moderate protein also renders a satiating effect, which helps you naturally eat fewer calories while preserving your lean muscle mass.
    

The Keto Diet Helps You Lose Weight

Along with high ghrelin levels, low estrogen levels lead to weight gain, especially in your lower abdomen. During menopause, it’s not uncommon to get a tummy “pooch” and hold more fat in your middle. However, some of this fat storage can be more dangerous than fat on your hips or thighs, specifically if it’s “visceral fat,” which is fat that fills the spaces between the abdominal organs and in an apron of tissue called the omentum, which is located under the belly muscles and blankets the intestines. Excessive visceral fat increases your risk for heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

As we previously mentioned, the aim of a ketogenic diet is to get in ketosis, the state where your body actively burns your fat stores. The breakdown of fat for energy (known as lipolysis) boosts your metabolism. And it also transforms your trouble spots into fuel reserves!

Women who followed a low-carb diet in one study lost 23 pounds, 7.6 percent body fat, and 3.7 inches off their waist in six months. Obese, postmenopausal women in a two-year trial reduced abdominal fat more when following a low-carb diet than a low-fat diet.

The Keto Diet Lowers Inflammation to Possibly Reduce Hot Flashes, Brain Fog, and Improve Moods

Many of us consume foods that inspire inflammation (hello, peanuts, peanut butter, and for some people, dairy). Chronic inflammation increases your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and more. It’s also to blame for depression, anxiety, memory loss, and trouble thinking. Concerning menopause, recent research links hot flashes with inflammation.

Here’s where keto’s helpful again: A ketogenic diet is anti-inflammatory and lowers systemic inflammation. It cuts out inflammatory foods, including refined carbs, sugar, and highly-processed vegetable oils. Anti-inflammatory foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants fill the menu instead.

The best part? Ketones not only protect your body from inflammation but also your brain cells. Science says your brain may use beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), the main ketone body, more effectively than glucose. So ketones boost mental performance, attention, and memory. They also banish brain fog. And lower inflammation levels may help your body better regulate temperature to avoid hot flashes.

The Final Word

Is the keto diet good for menopause? The connection between keto as an aid to menopause symptoms seems pretty clear. Lowering your daily carb intake may restore hormone balance and improve insulin function. This winning combo may help you finally move the scale and feel more alert.

But you’ll only reap the rewards of a ketogenic diet if you’re actually in ketosis. So speak with your physician about starting keto for menopause relief. And test your ketone levels often to make sure you maintain this metabolic state. 

The post Keto and Menopause: How a Low-Carb Diet Can Alleviate Symptoms appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

What is PCOS?

It’s a complex syndrome and autoimmune condition caused by a hormonal imbalance between luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). When LH production increases above normal ranges, the body starts producing androgens, like testosterone, which can lead to irregular menses, infertility, and a higher risk of ovarian cancer. Other signs and symptoms of PCOS include ovarian cysts, excessive body hair, acne, weight gain, and low sex drive. Currently, PCOS is reported to impact 12 to 21 percent of women of reproductive age, but up to 70 percent remain undiagnosed. While PCOS is characterized by reproductive complications, the metabolic complications associated with diet give reason to consider the ketogenic diet as a treatment option for the condition. 

What Causes PCOS?

While the exact cause of PCOS is unknown, researchers speculate it’s a mixture of genetic predisposition and numerous lifestyle factors. Interestingly, insulin resistance is commonly associated with PCOS, which comes as no surprise since hyperinsulinemia (having high insulin levels) increases LH production.

Insulin resistance is also a primary cause of weight gain, which is also why we see that nearly 50 percent of all women with PCOS are obese or overweight and 75 percent of all infertile obese women have PCOS. Outside of being the most common cause of female infertility, PCOS has also been associated with several cardiovascular disease risk factors, diabetes, and hypertension.

Treatment Options for PCOS

Currently, there are no pharmacological treatments for PCOS, thus researchers have started to look into dietary and lifestyle interventions for treatment. While it is hard to determine if the insulin resistance that is so commonly seen in PCOS is a result or cause of the condition, the fact that insulin resistance is present, offers up a therapeutic target: improving insulin sensitivity. 

New research suggests that improving insulin sensitivity⁠—and weight loss⁠—are likely the most effective means to treat PCOS. In fact, losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of body mass (i.e. 15 to 30 pounds for 300 pound female) can significantly improve hormonal imbalances, increase fertility and reduce the rates of miscarriages. Furthermore, increasing insulin sensitivity will reduce excess androgen hormone production, normalizing the balance between LH and FSH. 

Since improving insulin resistance and body weight seem to play such big factors, the ketogenic diet offers a very promising dietary intervention for PCOS. 

Impact of the Ketogenic Diet on PCOS

The ketogenic diet is most notably known for its impact on weight loss, epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, neurological disorders, and even certain types of cancer. However, due to emerging research and anecdotal evidence, keto is now being considered for many additional conditions, such as PCOS. 

Besides the fact that eliminating excess glucose from the diet will significantly improve health parameters, low-carbohydrate diets have been proven to be remarkably effective for reducing insulin concentrations and improving insulin sensitivity. 

Since the ketogenic diet can improve insulin sensitivity and aid in weight loss, researchers have started to look into the diet for treating females with PCOS. While the research is limited, it is promising; a 2005 study in a small group of obese women diagnosed with PCOS found that limiting carbohydrate intake to 20 grams or less per day for 24 weeks resulted in:

• • 12% reduction in body mass
  • 22% reduction in testosterone
  • 36% reduction in LH/FSH ratio
  • 54% reduction in fasting insulin levels

While these findings demonstrate proof of concept for utilizing the ketogenic diet for PCOS, perhaps the most impressive finding was that two women from the study became pregnant during the study despite previous fertility complications! 

Since this study came out, some practitioners have adopted the ketogenic diet as a treatment for PCOS, many anecdotal stories have been reported, and there are several studies in progress to provide further insight.

The Final Word

Despite many women suffering from PCOS, too many women go undiagnosed, and options for treatment of PCOS have been ineffective. Insulin resistance, a driver of PCOS, offers a therapeutic target that can be addressed through various lifestyle improvements including the ketogenic diet; however, much more additional research is needed.

We hope that this promising research will spark more interest in the academic community to continue studying this condition and help the many women who are suffering.

The post Keto & PCOS: A Promising Treatment for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

There’s actually some pretty solid reasons as to why women can really excel on the ketogenic diet. Not to say that men cannot, but women actually physiologically, have some advantages that make it so that they can possibly utilize fat as a fuel source even better than men. I’m going to break em’ down. I’m Thomas DeLauer with Keto-Mojo, and today we’re breaking down the science of women, and the keto diet.

Women Have a Higher Percentage of Overall Fat Mass

So basically what’s going on is women have a higher percentage of overall fat mass than men do. Basically women are going to be more like 12.5% percent of their overall mass being fat. Whereas men might be like three to five. Okay. Now that’s not percent body fat, that’s percent total like mass, right? So, when we look at it like that, it actually makes sense that the female body is a little bit more efficient at utilizing fats. Now the theory in general, is that women have a little bit more body fat to handle childbearing. But it also makes sense when we look at it from an oxidation standpoint. So here’s what I mean, there’s a study that was published in the Journal of Medical and Science in Sports and Exercise. And it investigated how women utilize fuel. In this particular case, during exercise, but it still translates into just everyday life. They found that women oxidize lipids significantly better than men, and actually use a lot less carbohydrates than men. So, a female body when exercising actually utilizes what’s called beta-oxidation, and actually mobilizes fat and uses fat for energy, more so than a male would.

Understanding Intramyocellular Triglyceride Content

Now additionally, it’s also found that women have a higher level of what is called intramyocellular triglyceride content. This is really cool cause this is the fat that is sort of in the muscle that readily gets used for fuel. So, because they have a higher degree of fat already weaved into the muscle, it indicates that their muscle tissue in the cells are much more likely to utilize fat as a fuel source. Again, this all makes sense with keto, right? We want our bodies to be adapted to using fat for fuel. And it’s like the female body is already more fat adapted than the male body. The other thing is that women have far less leucine oxidation. So the cool thing is they burn less muscle, they waste less muscle.

Now, when we look at it from somewhat of an evolutionary standpoint, this might make sense, right? We look back in time and the women were usually ones that were walking the long distances and carrying somewhat large loads, and carrying children as they would trek from village to village. Whereas men would have more anaerobic quick bursts, where they would go out hunting, and doing things like that. So it makes more sense that women would have more of a slow, oxidizing, fat burning process, than men having a more carbohydrate, quick-acting, quick energy response, right?

Journal of Applied Physiology Study

Now additionally, if we take a study that was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, we find that adrenaline burns more fat in women, than it does in men. Now, it’s important to know that adrenaline is a big driver for hormone-sensitive lipase, for actual fat burning to occur, for men and women. But it just so happens that if we were to put it into a simple analogy form, or a simple form like this, one drop of adrenaline burns a lot more fat in women, than that same drop of adrenaline in men. This all makes sense, right? It makes perfect sense it’s because women have more fat that is able to be used as fuel, it would make more sense that adrenaline would cause it to burn more. So basically, less of a catalyst is needed to actually burn more fat. So keto and fasting– a lot of the fat burning occurs because of adrenaline. Adrenaline mobilizes the free fatty acids, sends them to the liver where they get packaged into ketones. It’s a simple process, and it just makes sense with women.

How the Ketogenic Diet Effects Thyroid Levels

Now, the other thing that we talk about is thyroid issues, right? So, women are much more susceptible to hypothyroidism. Which means that the ketogenic diet scares some of em’ off. However, when we are on a ketogenic diet, we might see a decrease in our thyroid levels, but we potentially see an increase in thyroid sensitivity. Which means that even though our levels are lower, our receptors don’t need as much thyroid to actually get the job done. So we’ve actually decreased our need for as much thyroid, which works very, very well for women who might have a potential of going hypothyroid, right? So how do we figure out if we’re in keto, if we’re fasting? Well the simple way is utilizing your Keto-Mojo Meter, right? This is exactly where it comes into play. It’s exactly where you want to measure your ketones to see if you’re fasting properly, to see if you’re in keto properly, and to see if your body is utilizing those fats for fuel. Specifically for women, in this particular case. So make sure you’re leaving the guess work out of the equation. Leave the measuring to the meter, so you can determine if you’re really living up to your full female potential with the ketogenic diet.

The post Why Is Keto Ideal for Women? appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

We know by now that hormones play a huge role in so many things within our body. They can play a role when it comes down to our mood. They can play a role when it comes down to our body composition, our hunger, and a number of other things. We also know now that the Keto diet plays a big role in modulating hormones. This means that if we’re having any shift, or change in hormones, the Ketogenic diet might just be a great way to help level that out a little bit. I’m Thomas DeLauer with Keto-Mojo, and today we’re going to specifically talk about menopause, and the effect that the ketogenic diet has on the hormone shifts within the menopause cycle.

What is Menopause?

Simply put, menopause is a shift in hormones, it’s a shift in estrogen where estrogen is reduced, and it’s an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone, and a modulating of the luteinizing hormone, as well. In essence, what that means is follicle-stimulating hormone normally triggers the ovaries to start producing an egg, and the luteinizing hormone therefore allows the ovaries to release the egg. As females age, hormones change because there’s less egg production. The hormones shift to balance out which means that estrogen levels fall, and follicle-stimulating hormones increase. Follicle-stimulating hormones increase because of the decline in estrogen, and progesterone, and it’s trying to ramp up production. Follicle-stimulating hormone ramps up to try and release more of the eggs and try to release more estrogen. But it just can’t because biologically, the body has changed.

The Role of Insulin

As a result of this, we start to see some changes in insulin, and believe it or not, when it comes down to menopause and menopause symptoms, a lot of it actually has to do with insulin. See, lower levels of insulin cause a specific type of insulin resistance, which means that the cells are no longer able to see carbs and insulin the same way that they used to. For example, when someone eats sugar, their body is going to release insulin so that that sugar can get into the cell. If you have insulin resistance, that sugar can’t get into the cell very well. So, as a result, blood sugar remains high. When blood sugar remains high, the body still tries to ramp up more insulin to try to solve the issue. You end up with chronically high blood sugar, and chronically high insulin levels, this is known as hyperinsulinemia.

Nutrition and Metabolism Journal Study

For a woman during menopause or post-menopause, a lot of times there is a big increase in insulin which leads to a bunch of other things. A lot of times there are issues with hormone fluctuations, hunger, and hot flashes, a lot of times the result of insulin issues. Now there’s one study in particular that took a look at women with PCOS. I know PCOS is obviously not the same as menopause, but it has a lot of the same hormones at play. So let’s take a look at what this study said. This study was published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, it took a look at 11 women with PCOS, and what they did in this particular study is they had the women go on a very low carb, ketogenic diet, less than 20g of carbs.

What they found for the women that completed the study was that there were some pretty remarkable results. There was a 12% reduction in body weight, which was great, but there was also a 22% reduction in testosterone. You see, when estrogen levels fall, testosterone can get higher, and we don’t want that high androgenic testosterone activity in a woman, it’s just not the best thing, it can throw off other hormones. Now, additionally, there was a balance of luteinizing hormones and follicle-stimulating hormone. Those super-high follicle-stimulating hormone levels came back down a little bit. Luteinizing hormones balanced out as well. But where things get really interesting is they found there was a 54% reduction in insulin, so the hyperinsulinemia issue started to go away. That’s a huge reduction in insulin. This study started to find that a lot of the symptoms, a lot of the issues that happen hormonally with women as they age, or if they’re going through an issue with PCOS, can directly be a result of high levels of insulin.

The Relationship Between Ghrelin and Weight Gain

Let’s go ahead and let’s break it down a little bit further. When you look at women that are going through menopause, or are post-menopause, they also have a higher level of what is called ghrelin, the hunger hormone, it’s what signals us to be hungry. When a woman has gone through menopause and she has a higher level of ghrelin, there’s a good instance she’s going to have more of an appetite. Therefore, that can lead to weight gain. What’s interesting is that the ketogenic diet has been shown to suppress ghrelin levels. The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that took a look at 39 overweight individuals. They found that once the body was producing ketones, the presence of those ketone bodies suppressed ghrelin levels dramatically. So, we can combat, sort of in an indirect way, the ghrelin level increase that would occur post-menopause.

The Relationship Between Insulin and Brain Inflammation

But then, we can take it a step further too. You see, insulin is also fairly inflammatory. When we look at brain inflammation, we look at things like that, we can connect the dots. Lower levels of insulin could mean lower levels of inflammation. But additionally, Beta-hydroxybutyrate, which is the primary ketone body, and the ketone body that you’d be measuring with the Keto-Mojo Meter, is going to help modulate inflammation, specifically within the brain. So you hear a lot of women that are post-menopause that note that they have brain fog, or they end up with mood swings, or sometimes hot flashes. A lot of times this is a result not just of the hormones, but of actual brain inflammation that’s occurring simply because of the hyperinsulinemia. Again, if we can combat this in an indirect way with the ketogenic diet, we could be in a great place to help make the quality of life a bit better for those that are suffering with some of these symptoms.

When it comes down to ensuring that you’re in ketosis you should be measuring. You want to use a blood meter so you can truly and accurately note if you’re in that ketogenic state where you’re actually reaping the benefits, and that’s where the Keto-Mojo Meter comes into play. The Keto-Mojo Meter allows you to test your blood ketones at an affordable price, you can always know that you’re on the right track. As always, make sure you’re keeping it locked in here with Keto-Mojo and leave the guess work out of the equation. Leave that measuring to the actual meter. I’ll see you in the next video.

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PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is the number one leading cause of infertility in women in the United States. About 1 in 10 women end up suffering from PCOS. In this video I’m going to break down how a lower carb, ketogenic diet can actually have some very powerful effects when it comes down to reducing the instances of PCOS, but also improving fertility in those that do have PCOS. Hey, I’m Thomas DeLauer with Keto-Mojo and today I’m going to give you the science on how the ketogenic diet can not only help PCOS but can also help you live a healthy lifestyle in the first place.

What is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome?

The high-level overview of polycystic ovarian syndrome is where the ovary creates an egg but the egg either stays intact or doesn’t leave entirely, or if it does leave, there is a sac behind that can fill with fluid and ultimately trigger a cyst. That’s the basic overview, but in short, this can trigger a lot of pain and even worse, it can trigger infertility which can be absolutely heartbreaking and devastating for many people. If we start looking at what trigger PCOS, we can have a better understanding of how to start taking action to potentially prevent or help reduce some of the risks that are associated with it. The biggest factors that play a role are going to be your hormones and insulin. Now of course, insulin is a hormone, but insulin being a hormone that can drive a lot of other hormonal cascades truly affect PCOS in a different kind of way. You see, the biggest problem with PCOS is a high level of what are called androgens. So, we’re talking about testosterone, we’re talking about some of these other hormones that are designed to be in the female body in small amounts. But when you start having larger amounts of them, for any reason, it can trigger more cysts to form and it can trigger more infertility and it even more pain.

The Role of Insulin

When we look at how insulin is related to androgens, it all starts to make sense. High levels of insulin cause the ovaries to slow down, it can throw off the cycle, it can throw off a lot of different things. If you have a lot of insulin that’s impacting the body, it can make the ovaries slowdown, which in turn, triggers more androgens and more testosterone, believe it or not. But it doesn’t stop there, what it ends up doing is insulin causes the ovaries to produce more testosterone and androgens when they are functioning. Even though they’re operating slower, they’re producing more testosterone. So you have, sort of, the double whammy effect, where you have the reduction of activity of the ovaries that’s triggering this hormonal response, in conjunction with a little bit more of a potent effect when it comes down to producing androgens in the first place. What ends up happening is it produces more androgens, but also decreases the amount of what is called sex hormone binding globulin. Sex hormone binding globulin is a carrier protein that takes the androgens and carries them around the human body. Normally these androgens are bound to the sex hormone binding globulin, but if you have less sex hormone binding globulin, it’s less carrier protein and more free and available androgens. Meaning you have more testosterone and you have more estrogens that are floating freely through the body, not bound to sex hormone binding globulin, allowing them to trigger these negative things that we don’t want, especially ones that are associated with PCOS.

Clinical Nutrition European Journal Study

When we look at how the ketogenic diet really can affect PCOS, the big part of it has to with its effect on insulin. By following a ketogenic or a lower carb diet, you’re reducing your levels of insulin dramatically. There was a meta-analysis that was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was a huge study. The study took a look at multiple different studies that ended up collectively leading to 18,555 women. What they looked at was the comparison of lower carbohydrate diets along with higher carbohydrate diets. They found that the higher carbohydrate diets led to a 78% increase in infertility amongst women. So, we know that that has to do with insulin, and we know that when you’re on a ketogenic diet, you are dramatically reducing your insulin levels.

Nutrition and Metabolism Journal Study

That leads me to another study that was published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. This study took a look at 11 women that had PCOS and had them consume less than 20 grams of carbohydrates for six months. Now, of the five women that went the entire six months, it was found that two of them ended up getting pregnant during this time, that alone is amazing. The fact that a couple of these women were able to get pregnant when they otherwise weren’t able to, when starting a ketogenic or a low carb diet, is amazing in and of itself, but some of the stats are pretty darn cool too. There’s an overall 12% reduction in overall fat mass. Then there was a 22% reduction in free testosterone levels. There was 36% reduction in the luteinizing hormone to follicle stimulating hormone ratio, which means they had less of this androgenic activity going on. And then lastly, they had a 54% reduction in overall insulin levels. So not only were they improving a lot of these hormones and biomarkers, they were improving their instances of PCOS, and they were improving their fertility, showing that a low carb ketogenic diet has some powerful effects.

Why You Should Test with the Keto-Mojo Meter

This is where the Keto-Mojo meter comes in. You see, the Keto-Mojo meter allows you to know when you’re in ketosis. Allows you to know when you’re reaping the benefits of a ketogenic diet and allows you to know that you’re on your path too, hopefully, improving your symptoms. By simply using the meter, it will tell you if you’re in that ketogenic state. It will tell you how deep of a ketogenic state you’re in, sort of a way of gamifying the process so that you can truly have a good solid idea of what is happening inside your body. Don’t leave it all to guesswork, you need to be leaving the measuring to the actual meter, so you know that you’re doing it right. As always, make sure you’re keeping it locked in here with Keto-Mojo and I’ll see you in the next video.

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