The premise of the ketogenic diet for weight loss is that if you deprive the body
of glucose—the main source of energy for all cells in the body, which is
obtained by eating carbohydrate foods—an alternative fuel called ketones is
produced from stored fat (thus, the term “keto”-genic). The brain demands the
most glucose in a steady supply, about 120 grams daily, because it cannot store
glucose. During fasting, or when very little carbohydrate is eaten, the body
first pulls stored glucose from the liver and temporarily breaks down muscle to
release glucose. If this continues for 3-4 days and stored glucose is fully
depleted, blood levels of a hormone called insulin decrease, and the body
begins to use fat as its primary fuel. The liver produces ketone bodies from
fat, which can be used in the absence of glucose.
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