Unlocking the Keto Code

Conventional wisdom about the keto diet makes out ketones to be a super fuel.

The ketogenic or “keto” diet – a high-fat, low-carbohydrate way of eating – promises to offer massive longevity, weight loss and health benefits, according to proponents. They claim that by dramatically cutting carbs and instead eating 80% of your daily calories in the form of fat, you can trigger your liver to enter a metabolic state called ketosis, producing ketones. Ketones are said to act as a super fuel for your body, a superior alternative to using carb-sourced glucose for energy. Ketosis is supposed to make your body an efficient fat-burning machine.   

Scientists first discovered ketones in 1880s Germany in patients with diabetes. Later, research on children with epilepsy showed both fasting and eating a high-fat, low-carb diet could reduce seizures. However, it wasn’t clear why until 1921, when endocrinologist Rollin Turner Woodyatt discovered the connection to ketones.

Woodyatt found three conditions incite the production of ketones: feast, as in a high-fat, low-carb, low-protein diet; famine, as in fasting; and diabetes. The link between all three: glucose. When the body ...