The Ketogenic diet is a very high fat, high protein, and low carb diet originally created to treat patients with epilepsy and severe diabetes. But is it suitable for everyone who wants to lose weight? Let\’s look at one of the biggest genetic factors.
Elevated ketone bodies are protective (some studies show they even protect against radiation), but not everyone who goes on high-fat diet measures for ketones. Further, some of us don\’t have \”ketone genes\” and can\’t achieve ketone levels sufficient to reach the state of \”ketosis\” no matter how much butter we eat.
Changes in the PPARa gene play a big role in whether we can achieve a state of nutritional ketosis. They are also part of a family of genes (which includes APOE) that are associated with an inflammatory reaction to saturated fat. Especially men with PPARa variants see elevated triglycerides, sd-LDL, LDL-C, and APOB when consuming diets high in saturated fats. These biomarkers look better when more polyunsaturated fats are added to the diet. sd-LDL in particular is one of the worst particles to see elevated because sd-LDL expresses a protein called Apoc3 at higher levels. Apoc3 increases the \”residence time\” of LDL particles which gives them a greater chance to oxidize and do damage as they stay in circulation for extended periods.
The bottom line is that ketogenic diets are not a one size fits all solution and DNA/ blood cholesterol testing is required to confirm safety for each individual.
