How Does Keto Diet Affect Men’s Hormones?
It has come to a number of debates about the keto diet bringing healthy or opposite effects on a human body. To understand what to believe, let’s start with the basics. Hormones are merely messengers which are secreted by the endocrine glands so as to carry out various body processes by working together.
That being said, hormonal imbalance is quite prevalent in society in today’s time. This eventually leads to a number of diseases and body issues. When talking about keto diet, it can help you significantly in maintaining the hormonal balance of your body. This article will further throw light on this fact by highlighting some effects of keto diet against certain diseases.
High Blood Sugar and Insulin Resistance
Many health-related issues are usually a result of insulin level in your body. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas. When you take in carbohydrates/sugar, it develops glucose in your body which triggers the secretion of insulin. If you keep on taking in carbohydrates, your body will excrete as much insulin which will make your body system resistant to it.
Well, a keto diet had got you all covered up. It has been scientifically proven that a keto diet can help your body the process of regulation of insulin level. An imbalance in insulin can be the cause of type 2 diabetes.
The chances of you being diagnosed with diabetes are also significantly reduced when you switch to a ketogenic diet. Also, cortisol is something which has a lot to do with stress, keto is also observed to be beneficial in reducing stress level.
Problems Related to Reproduction and Fertility in Men
It was found in a study conducted in 2012 that the consumption of omega 3 is related to the health of the sperms in the human body. When talking about keto diet, a man can definitely be benefited from it in relation to fertility rate and sperm count.
Unhealthy food, rich in carbohydrates, can be named as the most common reason for infertility and poor sperm count in men. Foods likes, burgers, fries, pizza are recommended to be prohibited. While the keto diet is rich in healthy fats such as omega 3 and omega 6 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and fatty acids, it is something which will prevent you from reproductive problems. Switching to keto will automatically stimulate your reproductive hormones, triggering better performance, normalized sex drive and sperm vitality.
Thyroid Related Dysfunctions and Diseases
Thyroid is another very crucial hormone in your body. Its imbalance is related to various dreadful diseases such as hypothyroidism and autoimmune diseases like grave’s disease. While there a few objections about keto having an adverse effect on diseases related to thyroid, many scientists say that it has a grave relation with improving the condition.
When you are diagnosed with a disease related to thyroid, it has very less to do with the thyroid hormone but has a lot to do with your immunity. You must not work on improving the gland but the immunity. Ketones found in a keto-diet can tend to be significantly helpful in enhancing your immunity which in turn heals the hormones which are troubled with imbalances.
What About Sex Drive?
Low testosterone and sex drive can lead to loss ofmuscle mass and decreased energy level. A keto diet can improve your sex drive due to the quality amount of fat you consume.
A study shows that a high-fat diet might increase your testosterone levels by 13% while another study shows that a low-fat diet might reduce it.The ketogenic diet can also help reduce the symptoms such as mood swings, food craving, irritability, acne, headache, fatigue, etc…
Ketogenic diet brings a significant impact on the human body and the composition of hormones, thus affecting the functionality which is why it becomes imperative to discuss with your medical consultant before you introduce it in your lifestyle.
Different Stages Of the Keto Diet
The Keto Flu
The keto flu is one of the first symptoms you will experience once you start with the ketosis. Moreover, you will go through a number of side effects in this early stage. These side effects include headaches, tiredness, insomnia, lack of motivation and that sort of stuff.
This the stage in which your body learns how to use fats for developing energy rather than carbs. During this phase you might not really feel the drive to perform sex, the sole reason for that maybe you’re not feeling good altogether. Also, there is a significant amount of possibility that you might not be in your best body shape. This is not something that you should be worried about, because this phase gets over very soon. In short, you will be having sex really soon, given if you have a partner! You will definitely feel better and more energetic to perform your daily activities.
The Adaptation Phase
Keto flu is the first stage, but it is in itself a part of the adaptation process. The adaptation process is something in which your body undergoes the process of fat adaptation to be specific. This is a complex body phase in which your body gets used to the new diet and deals with converting your body fat into energy rather than being dependent on glucose. This process usually takes up to 2 to 3 weeks to completely take place.
Once you get through this complex phase, you will feel more energetic and full of energy which will in turn help to perform your physical and mental activities in a better. Moreover, this means that you will also be able to satisfy your partner while performing sex.
Emotions are also associated with this adaptation process. Emotions, to be specific are also directly proportional to the sex drive. Also, this process helps your body in stabilizing the blood sugar level. In a way, ketosis reduces your chance of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
It stabilizes your sugar level, which automatically reduces your mood swings and crankiness. If you have explained a drop-in desire for sex, after the completion of this process, your sex drive will go back to what it should be, if only that is a good thing.
The Adaptation Phase
If you stick to the keto diet for a longer time, the effects of it on your body will be phenomenal. You will definitely feel the energy and a sense of satisfaction. It will give you increased concentration for all your activities, be it mental or physical. The long-term ketosis brings about a pleasant experience by completely adapting to your new diet and healthy living. A Keto diet is not always as easy to follow as it may seem, especially if you are a beginner, check out ketosis diet for dummies incase you require some help.
Keto diet will make you lose additional weights which will eventually make you more confident. Your libido is something which makes you feel sexy and more self-assured due to the healthy changes in your body. When you take the keto diet for a more extended period of time, it also helps your skin to recover from all the damages and look healthier.
The keto diet also has a good effect on some of the essential hormones in your body, such as estrogens and testosterone. Let’s talk about it further.
Effect on Estrogens
Estrogen is a hormone which is related to sex and reproductive health. This hormone controls a number of sexual aspects along with your desire to perform sex. If your body has low levels of estrogen, you probably won’t be that interested in sex.
Hence, making sure that your estrogen level remains apt according to your body, so as to keep the drive for sex going is a very important aspect. So as to do that, switching to a diet which is healthier and has the essential nutrients turns out to be a smart strategy in the long run. If you were previously on a diet comprising of low-fat, a keto diet may have a better effect on your body status of responding to the sex drive and also satisfying your partner.
Effects on Testosterone
Similar to the estrogens, testosterone is linked with food which contains more fats. If you consume a diet which consists of lower levels of fat, your body will have a lower level of this hormone. A decreased level of testosterone is directly linked with some prevalent ailments such as, fatigue, increased body fat, loss of muscle mass, and insomnia. Also, this is that very hormone which you do not want to mess with because its imbalance can cause infertility.
However, as people grow old, the testosterone levels in their bodies automatically go down and not even a keto-diet can hinder that. But when you are still young, you might want to switch to a keto diet so as to maintain the balance of this crucial hormone in your body. It has been proven scientifically that you can boost testosterone level if you lose weight, which can be done by switching to a keto diet. Your sex drive will also increase once you start eating healthy and stick to it.
Check out more about how to get the right amount of proteins, balance your hormones and other benefits fromhealthy keto diet.
