Annotated Bibliography

¨The benefits and drawbacks of a keto diet¨ Research Project

By: Madison Humphries

Date: 3/30/20

EatSmart. (2020). ​The Pros and Cons of the Ketogenic Diet - EatSmart​. [online] Available at:
https://eatsmartproducts.com/fitness-and-wellness/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-keto
genic-diet/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

This website tells the pros and cons of the keto/low carbs diet. The keto diet may not be for
everyone. Everyones body reacts differently with different diets. The ketogenic diet is
supposed to consist of 75% fats, 20% proteins, and only 5% carbs. Some pros of the keto
diet listed on this website is quick weight loss, decreased appetite which will make you not
want to eat as much as normal, gives you more energy, increased the burning of fat, min
clarity, lowers the risk of heart disease, and reduces seizures caused by epilepsy. He cons
listed on the website are the adaptation period can be rough on the body, you must follow
the diet exactly for it to work, it is high in fat, it can cause digestive issues, muscle loss, and
athletic ability is decreased. This website is helpful because it lists both sides and has
different points from the other websites about the keto/low carb diet.

Gotter, A. (2020). ​Keto diet: Benefits and nutrients​. Medicalnewstoday.com. Retrieved 31

March 2020, from ​https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319196​.

This website focuses on specifically why keto diet is good for you. It tells what exactly the
diet is and how the diet works. It goes through and lists the benefits of it. The website
states that it supports weight loss by depleting the body of sugar reserves. The keto diet
can improve acne and can even reduce risk of certain cancers. It can improve heart health,
protect brain function, reduce seizures, and can improve polycystic ovary syndrome
(PCOS) symptoms. At the bottom of the website, it lists some minor complications the diet
can cause such as kidney stones, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, constipation, ect. Even
though it lists some of the risks at the bottom, this page focuses on the benefits of the keto
diet and how it helps to better the body in many ways. This website was very helpful and
gave a lot of information on the keto/low carb diet.
Gunnars, K. (2020). ​10 Health Benefits of Low-Carb and Ketogenic Diets.​ [online] Healthline.
Available at:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-low-carb-ketogenic-diets
[Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

This website explains the benefits of a keto diet. It is a list of ten benefits that you can
receive from a low carb keto diet. Some benefits listed are that it reduces your appetite so
that you don't want to eat as much as you normally would. The benefit list also states that
it can help to lower your blood pressure and can lower blood sugar and insulin levels.
Under each benefit listed it website states why it is beneficial and how it will affect our
body in a positive way. This website is very beneficial if you aren't sure what a keto diet
can do to benefit the health of your body. The information that is given is very detailed and
leaves the reader with no question. After you read about the certain benefit it is explaining
and you have all of the information in your head at once, it gives a summary at the bottom
to sum it all up and is helpful to help the reader remember the benefits.

Holland, k. (2020). ​10 Unexpected Health Benefits of the Keto Diet​. [online] Reader's Digest.
Available at: https://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/benefits-keto-diet/
[Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

This website explains the benefits that you receive from a keto/no carb diet that you
wouldn't expect to receive. A keto diet is supposed to be a very fast way to lose weight. The
first benefit mentioned is that energy levels rise but within the first few days of starting the
diet you could feel very sick and have a headache, become nauseous, or be really tired and
weak. The website states that a keto diet also helps with depression, anxiety levels,
protection against type two diabetes, the liver can become healthier, your body does not
swell as bad as usual, people gets better rest, could help to treat cancer, you don't crave
food as much, and may help the heart to become healthier. This website solely focuses on
the benefits of how the low carb diet affects your body. There is nothing negative said
about the diet on this website.

MacMillan, A. (2020). ​7 Dangers of Going Keto​. [online] Health.com. Available at:

https://www.health.com/weight-loss/keto-diet-side-effects [Accessed 20 Feb.
2020].
This website solely focuses on the drawbacks of the keto diet. Being on the keto diet causes
changes to the body. The body has to adjust to the new diet it is consuming. This diet is
even used by celebrities including Jenna Jameson, Mama June, and Halle Berry. On the diet,
the body is only supposed to consume 50 or less carbs a day. This diet could cause the keto
flu which is where after people start the diet they just feel ill and not well. It can also cause
diarrhea and can reduce athletic performance because the body needs carbs for energy and
with the keto diet you are cutting out most carbs. It can also cause weight regain because it
is not proven to work for a long period of time, and can cause an increased risk of heart
disease and diabetes. There are many drawbacks that people fail to realize because all they
notice and think about is losing weight and losing it fast.

Marcelo Campos, M. (2020). ​Ketogenic diet: Is the ultimate low-carb diet good for you? -
Harvard Health Blog.​ [online] Harvard Health Blog. Available at:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ketogenic-diet-is-the-ultimate-low-carb-diet
-good-for-you-2017072712089 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

This website was created by a doctor at Harvard Medical School and it explains whether or
not a keto/low carb diet is good for your body. The doctor then begins to explain that he
has patients ask him if a keto diet is good for them and if he recommends it. The doctor
explains that a keto diet is not a new thing, it has been a diet for a while now and is also
used on young children to treat drug resistant epilepsy. The website then explains what
exactly a keto diet is and how it works to fight off fat from the body. The author tells that
the diet has shown evidence that it helps with seizures and how some people believe that it
could help with other brain disorders but there have been studies to prove this issue. The
keto diet may help short term but evidence has not proven that it works long term.

Migala, j. (2020). ​What Are the Benefits and Risks of the Keto Diet? | Everyday Health​.
[online] EverydayHealth.com. Available at:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/ketogenic-diet/what-are-benefits
-risks-keto-diet/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

This website explains both the benefits and the risks of a low carb or keto diet. The keto
diet is the most popular diet in today's society. There are so many searches on the internet
made each month by individuals and there are so many successful stories to back up that
the keto diet actually does work. The keto diet calls for high amounts of fats, a good amount
of proteins and almost no carbs in a diet. The website explains what a keto diet is and how
it helps to burn fat. When on a keto diet, the body enters a stage called ketosis and it makes
the body use fat for energy which helps to burn off the fat. It also gives a list of the foods
that you can eat while on a keto or low carb diet such as leafy green vegetables, meats, eggs,
fish, and many more things.

Spritzler, RD, CDE, F. (2020). ​15 Health Conditions That May Benefit From a Ketogenic Diet​.
Healthline. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-conditions-benefit-ketogenic-diet​.

This website is different from all of the other websites. It doesn't just focus on how it affects
the body, it focuses on how the keto/low carb diet can benefit certain health conditions. It
has a list of 15 health conditions that the keto diet can help with. Epilepsy is the first one
listed and I have read this on several different websites. Some others listed are Metabolic
syndrome or prediabetes, glycogen storage disease, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),
diabetes, certain cancers, autism, parkinson's disease, obesity, GLUT1 deficiency syndrome,
brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, alzheimers, and migraine
headaches. This website was really helpful to give me information that other websites did
not. Most of the other websites listed ways that a keto diet affected the body whereas this
website listed what diseases or health conditions could benefit from being on this certain
diet. This website gave a lot of useful information to support the low carb diet.

Swain-Wilson, S. (2020). ​10 of the biggest downsides of the keto diet​. [online] Insider.
Available at:
https://www.insider.com/negatives-of-keto-diet-2019-5#issue-1-the-keto-diet-can
-make-you-feel-sick-1 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

This website focuses on the negatives and drawbacks of the keto/low carb diet that people
do not pay much attention to because they see it will help to lose weight fast. The keto diet
can be bad for the body. It can cause you to feel bad all of the time because you have no
carbs which gives the body energy. When you have no energy it is hard to function daily. It
can make you feel backed up and unable to use the bathroom, it can cause unpleasant
breath which is really embarrassing. One of the biggest problems with the keto/low carb
diet is that it is not long term. After getting off all of the weight from dieting, one you stop
the weight will pack back on very quickly. In reality, you may not even lose any eight at all.
The keto diet may also affect cholesterol level and the overall health of the body in a
negative way.

Tapp, F. (2020). ​HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media​. [online] Huffpost.com. Available at:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/keto-diet-pros-cons_n_5b3ba3b0e4b09e4a8b27e
bc4 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].
This website tells both sides of the argument, the benefits of a keto diet and the drawbacks
of a keto diet.The website starts off by explaining to the reader what exactly a keto/low
carb diet is. The diet's purpose is to burn fat from the body to use for energy instead of
carbs in the body. Even though a keto diet can be had to stick to and stay with, it will help
you to lose weight but it is not promised long term. The diet should be 75% fats, 20%
proteins, and 5% carbs. The bad news is that it can cause what they call the keto flu. This is
a period when you start the diet that you just feel ill and not good. You can experience
symptoms such as headaches, tiredness, weakness, lack of motivation, ect. This website is
helpful because it explains the positives and negatives in detail.