Why isn’t Kourtney Kardashian’s ‘detox’ claim about the keto diet true?


  • Kourtney Kardashian is back on the low-carb, high-fat keto diet, according to her lifestyle website Poosh.
  • However, some fans and critics expressed concern that the diet is unhealthy, noting that Kardashian is not a dietician and has no nutrition background.
  • Kardashian responded to fans on Instagram that her keto diet is medically approved and that she uses it for short periods to “help detoxify metals or toxins.”
  • There is no evidence that keto or any diet can aid in a metal “detox” or anything else. In fact, your liver and kidneys naturally take care of all your detoxification needs.
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Summer is here, the weather is warming up, and Kourtney Kardashian has returned to the keto diet, according to celebrity lifestyle blog Poosh.

Kardashian says her doctor approved the high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan to “help detoxify from metals and other toxins.”

He was trying to diet, he said, because “I want to look and feel my best.”

Although he suggested consulting a doctor before trying this (or any) diet, the post incited criticism that the keto diet may be unhealthy and that Kardashian does not have the qualifications to offer nutritional advice.

While there are some medical applications of the keto diet, experts say there is no evidence that it can “detoxify” anything.

Kardashian’s ketogenic diet eliminates grains, tubers, and all fruits except berries

The ketogenic diet, or “keto” for short, involves eating a higher percentage of dietary fat and too few carbohydrates to induce a state called “ketosis” where the body burns fat instead of glucose, its preferred fuel source generated by from carbohydrates.

“I personally love it,” Kardashian said of keto. The celebrity spent two months on the keto diet in 2018 and wrote in Poosh that it was “a really positive experience”, although it can be very restrictive even compared to other diets.

Although keto diets can vary widely, a common version limits your daily carbohydrates to 5-10% of your total calories, and sometimes less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. For reference, a medium apple has approximately 25 grams of carbohydrates.

Kardashian wrote that his keto diet eliminates sugar, grains, beans, root vegetables, processed foods, alcohol, and all fruits except small portions of berries.

The health effects of the keto diet have been hotly debated, with some nutritionists and cardiologists opposing the high amount of saturated fat in many keto diets, and others argue that dietary restriction can make long-term maintenance difficult. .

However, proponents of Keto praise the diet’s effectiveness in losing weight, its value in treating health conditions like diabetes, and its potential to help people move away from the standard American diet rich in sugar and processed foods.

During Kardashian’s first period on the keto diet, he also noticed that he was using the eating plan to detoxify, alleging that his doctor had found “high levels of metals like mercury and lead” in his body.

There is no evidence that keto can help detoxify anything, including metals

It is possible to have unsafe levels of heavy metals if you are exposed to them in your environment; For example, you can find lead in old paint and mercury in certain types of fish. These can be dangerous, but there is no evidence that keto can help, according to experts.

“I can’t think of any biochemical pathways through which a keto diet lowers lead and mercury levels,” Andy Belatti, registered dietitian-nutritionist.

A well-formulated keto diet, rich in whole foods, could have health benefits by eliminating processed foods and added sugars, according to Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, professor at the University of West Virginia School of Medicine and a runner marathon who has published several studies. in keto and diabetes.

But, added Cucuzzella, there is no research showing that keto has a beneficial effect on heavy metals or any other “toxin.”

Plus, you don’t really need to find a diet plan to detoxify, as your body is naturally equipped with all the tools it needs.

“We all have a liver and kidneys to do that job without a detox diet that, in most cases, is inadequately balanced and lacks so many important nutrients,” said registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, author of ” Read it before eating. ” It is: take it from the label to the table, “she previously told Insider.

Read more:

A Mediterranean keto diet can help treat PCOS, the most common cause of infertility in women.

‘Speed ​​keto’ combines intermittent fasting and the keto diet. Increase weight loss, but experts say it’s a bad idea.

The keto diet can help people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels.