Ketogenic Diet: Transitioning, Experiences, Reasons, Cautions ...

[CoachJD]

Can anyone comment on the advisability of a vegetarian keto diet in someone who already has osteoporosis? I have mild diabetes, on metformin, have one copy of apoe4. My mom had AD. I would like to lose weight and keep my blood sugars under better control. Thanks.

Hello and a warm welcome to the community! I see you've been a member for awhile, but this looks like your first post. You raise an interesting but difficult to answer question about the best diet to prevent AD. But congratulations on knowing that a good diet can affect your genetic expression, as well as help manage your diabetes and weight. You didn't say if you are currently a vegetarian or on a keto diet, or if you are contemplating this change. It's my belief that there is not one right diet for everyone. Each of us is unique, even if we share a common genetic expression in one area. We can't engineer a diet which only addresses AD without looking at your whole health picture and assessing all of the risks and potential rewards from a diet improvement. So. maybe if you share more about yourself and your current diet, the team can provide more guidance, or you can find it in the posts and resources on this site.

[Kvetch]

Hi Joan: Thanks for responding so quickly. My diet is mainly whole foods, with little meat. I tried a "regular" ketogenic diet in August for 3 weeks, but did not lose a single pound and was horribly constipated, so returned to eating my usual diet. I am 70, weigh 134, and am 5' tall. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 51 and have been on treatment ever since. The bisphosphonates did not work for me, so I was put on Forteo shots for a year, then onto Prolia injections. Both of those meds helped a lot, as did starting weight training. Currently I do aerobic exercise and weights 4 times per week, 6 hours altogether, but my weight just sits there. I have been "prediabetic" since 2010, on 2 Metformin per day, and am pretty sure I have worsened behind the scenes, as I have been checking blood sugars more frequently the last few weeks. Have doctor appt in 2 days, will have A1c checked then. I have never had an A1c above 5.8. Hope this info is useful! Judy

[simonh01]

Can anyone comment on the advisability of a vegetarian keto diet in someone who already has osteoporosis? I have mild diabetes, on metformin, have one copy of apoe4. My mom had AD. I would like to lose weight and keep my blood sugars under better control. Thanks.

Why? Is it for ethical reasons? And what on earth do you eat on a vegetarian keto diet, seems like it would be extremely difficult to maintain.

[simonh01]

Can anyone comment on the advisability of a vegetarian keto diet in someone who already has osteoporosis? I have mild diabetes, on metformin, have one copy of apoe4. My mom had AD. I would like to lose weight and keep my blood sugars under better control. Thanks.

Why? Is it for ethical reasons? And what on earth do you eat on a vegetarian keto diet, seems like it would be extremely difficult to maintain.

Nevermind, you answered above. I will add I have no qualifications for the following statements its just my opinion.

I agree with Joan, don't feel like you have to get boxed into a certain diet. Start with the big rocks which it sounds like you are doing already.

Eat all unprocessed food. Pretty simple eat real food, nothing from a box.
No added sugars (its in everything)
Avoid processed oils (Vegetable, Corn, Conola, Sunflower - its also in everything). Use good fats Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, Ghee, Butter. Being an E4 Olive oil is probably best as its debatable how we do with a lot of saturated fat.
Avoid Grains, particulary since you are prediabetic, I wouldn't eat any bread, pasta etc. Grains and gluten also give me added joint pain. I do eat plain white rice but for a diabetic I wouldn't eat that either.

Finally since you are pre diabetic I would probably lean towards the keto side, so lower carb and higher fat with moderate protein.

My 2 cents. Good luck.

[slacker]

My diet is mainly whole foods, with little meat. I tried a "regular" ketogenic diet in August for 3 weeks, but did not lose a single pound and was horribly constipated, so returned to eating my usual diet.. I have been "prediabetic" since 2010, on 2 Metformin per day, and am pretty sure I have worsened behind the scenes, as I have been checking blood sugars more frequently the last few weeks.

Hi Judy;

We have members who stay in nutritional ketosis with some fish and mostly vegetables/plants. Their fat comes mostly from vegetable sources - olive oil, avocados, nuts. There are two that I know of that follow Dr Gundry's approach, and are interested in sharing their journey. We have a wiki on Dr Gundry's protocol if you are interested in reading more about a mostly vegetarian approach to nutritional ketosis.

We also have a wonder Primer written by a MD member that is a great starting place to learn about ways to help overcome our ApoE4 genetics. There is a section specifically on how to improve insulin resistance (IR). Many of us try to get our A1C as close to 5% as possible, but there are markers other than A1C that are important to check.

[Robhypno]

Got my bloods back

BP 115/75 HR 62

No vitamin deficiency

Cholesterol ALL normal

Liver function Normal

Kidney function Normal

CRP Normal

Fasting BM 4.3

HpAlc Normal

Thyroid All Normal

Testosterone Normal - in fact very high, helped my ego haha

Others all normal

So full keto it is for me and appears to be overriding our E4 genes. For now at least

[xactly]

Got my bloods back
Cholesterol ALL normal

So full keto it is for me and appears to be overriding our E4 genes. For now at least

I'm curious what your cholesterol status was before keto?

[Robhypno]

Got my bloods back
Cholesterol ALL normal

So full keto it is for me and appears to be overriding our E4 genes. For now at least

I'm curious what your cholesterol status was before keto?

To be honest, I don't know but the bloods were taken after 3 weeks of my full keto.

I do have the Frank's crease on one ear lobe and both my parents have high cholesterol as does my sister

I will be retesting my cholesterol in December and early in the new year

My fasting BM is making me confident as it is low

Early days but I'm happy that things weren't too out of sync whether related to keto or prior to keto

[SusanJ]

Just did Rhonda Patrick's new comprehensive genetic report. Found this genetic gem, which might help explain why I feel better with higher amounts of carbs in my diet. If anyone else feels worse on keto or just not getting the results you expect, there might be a genetic component. It's one gene whose research I plan to watch.

A study in FGF21 knockout mice (missing the FGF21 gene) showed that these animals did not respond well when
fed a ketogenic diet. The mice had impaired glucose tolerance, weight gain, triglyceride accumulation in the liver and reduced ketone formation. The authors propose that FGF21 action is needed to utilize fatty acids as the primary fuel source. Individuals with the T allele may be less suited to a ketogenic diet due to decreased expression of FGF21 which plays an important role in ketogenesis, however, more evidence to support this idea is still needed.

FGF21 rs838133

Anyway, if you're looking to tweak your diet or supplements, then Patrick's comprehensive genetic report might give you some places to look.

[genie]

I did a quick search and found these links that might be useful to those with PCOS:

The PCOS diagnostic criteria do not include “being overweight.” Obesity is a risk of PCOS. In fact, one in five women with PCOS are thin or at a healthy BMI.

Nutrition for Lean Women With PCOS
https://www.verywellhealth.com/nutritio ... os-2616306

Unique Challenges of Lean Women With PCOS
https://www.verywellhealth.com/unique-c ... os-4155138

Eight reasons to adopt a low-carb diet for polycystic ovarian syndrome - Diet Doctor
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/ben ... /8-reasons