Ketosis: Top Benefits of the Keto Diet on Your Skin

Why should you maintain a Clear and Radiant Skin?

As the largest organ of our body, our skin protects against environmental factors such as harmful radiation, infections, chemicals, free radicals, temperature variations, etc. Because of direct contact with such harmful factors, our skin experiences wear and tear continuously. On the other hand, due to hormonal factors and genetics, inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and eczema can be experienced. According to an article published by Mohammad Jafferany on the Psychiatric and psychological impact of chronic skin disease, chronic skin conditions such as acne and eczema have a significant impact on a person’s psychological well-being. Such common psychological problems associated with chronic skin conditions are stress, anxiety, anger, depression, shame, social isolation, low self-esteem, and embarrassment. Therefore, healthy skin plays a significant role in a person’s self-confidence and mental well-being. A clear and radiant skin is indeed a crucial reflection of the quality of our life filled with flourish and happiness.

Entering into ketosis can be concluded as an effective way to obtain and maintain healthy skin as lower carbohydrate intake can reduce the inflammation of the skin. As a result, it reduces redness in the skin and makes it appear clear and radiant. Furthermore, Insulin has been associated with acne, and due to lower carbohydrate intake, the amount of insulin needed by our body is minimized gifting healthier skin. So, let’s explore the top benefits of ketosis and the ketogenic diet on your skin.

What is Ketosis?

Ketosis is a metabolic state that occurs during prolonged starvation or lack of carbohydrate ingestion. Normally, our body uses glucose as its primary energy source. But, in some conditions such as prolonged starvation or lack of carbohydrate ingestion, fat stored in adipose tissue becomes the principal source of stored energy in our body. Therefore liver initiates the metabolism of fat to form ketone bodies including acetone, acetoacetate, and β-hydroxybutyric acid by the process called ketogenesis. These water-soluble ketone bodies gain easy access to the central nervous system. Therefore, as the concentration of ketone bodies in the bloodstream increases, our brain displaces its glucose use by ketone body metabolism.

But, too much of ketone bodies can make your blood acid and it is called ketoacidosis. If you are suffering from diabetes, too many ketones can cause diabetes-related ketoacidosis which is life-threatening without treatment.

Following a ketogenic diet is an effective way to enter into ketosis. ?Generally, it involves limiting the consumption of carbs and filling up healthy fat consumption with moderate protein consumption. Before jumping into the ketogenic diet, let’s discuss whether the food affects our skin health.

Does the food have an impact on our skin health?

We all know that the food we eat can impact on our skin health. Smoking, alcohol, or too much sugar intake gives your skin a negative impact on our skin complexions. Healthy eating habits and the best skin care products can keep your skin youthful and radiant.? Essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are vital for maintaining healthy skin. Deficiencies in nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids can compromise skin integrity and contribute to issues such as dryness, dullness, and premature aging. As well as, adequate hydration is essential to maintain skin hydration, elasticity, and overall function. Consuming a balanced diet rich in healthy fats, lean proteins, low carb and hydrating vegetables and fruits provides the necessary nutrients and hydration in addition to drinking water to support skin health and repair processes.

What is the keto diet/ Ketogenic diet (KD)?

The ketogenic diet, often referred to simply as the keto diet, is designed with high fat, adequate protein, and low carbohydrates to induce a state of ketosis in the body. Approximately 70-80% of total daily calories come from healthy fats such as avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty cuts of meat. Protein intake is moderate, comprising around 20-25% of total daily calories. Such protein sources include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Carbohydrate consumption is limited to approximately 5-10% of total daily calories, typically amounting to fewer than 50 grams of net carbs per day. Foods high in carbohydrates, such as grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, and sugary foods are restricted or minimized. Low-carb vegetables including mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower are preferred to include in your keto diet.

Beyond weight loss, keto diets offer you a plethora of health benefits that extend to both the body composition and the skin. Let’s explore how these profound effects of ketosis which are weight management by fat burning, appetite regulation, and metabolic flexibility influence your skin health.

1.??? Weight Loss for a Sculpted Look:

The intake of high amounts of carbohydrates leads to the activation of insulin response due to increased blood glucose, which is the main energy source for all metabolic processes including providing energy during exercise. When carbohydrate intake is high, due to high levels of glucose and insulin response, fat metabolism is inhibited and our body stores fat instead of its oxidation (fat burning). On the other hand, when the intake of carbohydrates is low, or when carbohydrates are stored in the form of glycogen, our body enters into ketosis by breaking down stored fatty acids into ketones as an energy source in the body. The ketogenic diet, which leads our body to the state of ketosis, has been evaluated as a tool for weight loss in the normal, overweight, and obese populations. Therefore, shedding excess weight through ketosis not only benefits your overall health but can also enhance your body composition including facial features and body contours; giving you a more sculpted and defined appearance.

2.??? Reduced Inflammation:

Inflammatory skin conditions often represent chronic skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis (AD). Increased insulin levels in our blood serve as a relapsing and remitting course for inflammatory skin conditions. On the other hand, higher body mass index and obesity, characterized by low-grade chronic inflammation are directly linked with inflammatory skin conditions. Low-grade chronic inflammatory conditions cause increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, which are C-reactive proteins and tumor necrosis factor-α. ?Inflammatory cytokines seed the acne development and keratinocyte proliferation that play a major role in psoriasis and AD. Therefore, weight loss and reduced insulin release lead to decreased inflammatory cytokines, resulting in reduced inflammatory skin conditions.

?By significantly reducing the intake of carbohydrates, the blood glucose level is decreased. Therefore, our body enters into ketosis producing ketone bodies as the energy source instead of glucose. Due to the decrease in blood glucose, insulin release by the pancreas is reduced. Therefore, ketosis acts as a negative feedback mechanism to reduce insulin release driving towards decreased inflammatory skin conditions. On the other hand, ketone bodies produced by ketosis have anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, reduced insulin release and inflammatory cytokines together with anti-inflammatory properties of ketone bodies result in healthy and clear skin.

The low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is often high in fat and aims the fat metabolism instead of glucose metabolism as the energy source by entering into ketosis. Therefore, adherence to the ketogenic diet is a good option to reduce skin inflammation to achieve healthy and clear skin.

3.??? Radiant Complexion:

Oxidative stress plays a major role in the skin damage process and increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a main factor in it. Reactive oxygen species including non-radical and free radical species form by incomplete reduction of electrons from oxygen molecules. Superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical are ROS produced by oxygen molecules. The skin’s oxidative metabolism and exposure to UV radiation lead to the production of these mentioned ROS. ?Although the skin itself has natural defense mechanisms against free radicals, excessive amounts of free radicals damage the skin by destroying lipid components of sebum and intracellular cement of the epidermis that provides hydration and prevents water loss. On the other hand, these free radicals directly damage the DNA and lipids of epidermal keratinocytes destroying the cellular response in keratinocytes. The damage to the sebum and keratinocytes is involved in the development of skin diseases including psoriasis, allergic dermatitis, and skin cancer.? Furthermore, oxidative stress caused by ROS leads to the degradation of melanocytes inducing the production of melanin pigments (melanogenesis) which act as a photoreceptor shielding and photo protector to the skin. Moreover, the accumulation of free radicals is involved in remodeling the extracellular matrix of the skin by inducing the expression of enzymes responsible for the degradation of collagen, which is the main building component of the skin. On the other hand, reactions of free radicals lead to skin lesions, which occur by disruption of defense and restoration mechanisms in the skin and damage to elastin fibers. ?

?Our body has developed different mechanisms to counteract the oxidative stress caused by ROS. These mechanisms include both exogenous and endogenous compounds that act as antioxidants. An antioxidant is a substance responsible for the oxidation of free radicals significantly lowering or preventing harmful effects of ROS on human tissues. These antioxidants are available in both fat-soluble and water-soluble forms such as β-carotene and glutathione respectively. Antioxidants play a major role in protecting the skin against free radicals. The epidermis consists of both hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants to protect the skin against a range of free radicals.

Nutrition is closely associated with maintaining clear, radiant, and youthful skin by preventing skin damage and diseases. Studies were performed on the capacity of antioxidants in a ketogenic diet and showed the reduced production of ROS by the most studied ketone body, β-Hydroxybutyrate, which is produced due to the metabolic state of ketosis. On the other hand, the ketogenic diet enhances the production of endogenous antioxidants such as glutathione. ?Therefore, these ketone bodies characterized by antioxidant properties play a significant role in preventing and repairing skin damage caused by ROS by scavenging free radicals and supporting the defense and regenerative mechanisms of the skin resulting you a radiant complexion.?

4.??? Natural anti-aging effect:

Glycation is an aging reaction that occurs naturally due to high levels of sugar in the blood causing a great impact on health and beauty.? Simple sugars including glucose and fructose react with proteins, lipids, or nucleic acids to produce subsequent chemical rearrangements termed advanced glycation end products (AGE) such as protein cross-links and modified proteins. Accumulation of AGE in our skin cells gradually results in various skin problems such as wrinkles, pigmentation, and yellowing of the skin color as distinctive features of aging.

Collagen and elastin are proteins that contribute to maintaining the normal structure and physiological function of our skin. Glycation contributes to the fragmentation of collagen and elastin fibers and the production of crosslinks between them that are difficult to decompose. These glycated collagens accumulate and severely damage our skin resulting in wrinkles, reduced skin elasticity, and dullness. Moreover, during the process of glycation, a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are released significantly reducing levels of glutathione, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in the body. Furthermore, AGEs stimulate the production of melanin leading to skin pigmentation.

High-sugar foods that are easily metabolized as glucose result in elevated levels of sugar in blood and skin leading to glycation. The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate often high in fat and aims the fat metabolism instead of glucose metabolism as the energy source by entering into ketosis. Therefore, adherence to the ketogenic diet can reduce sugar levels in blood and skin preventing glycation. On the other hand, sticking into ketosis enhances your body’s antioxidant capacity preventing the production of ROS and inducing the production of antioxidants such as glutathione. Therefore, the ketogenic diet can be a golden ticket for you to prevent premature aging of your skin, resulting in a more youthful and radiant appearance.

5.??? Prevent dry skin:

The ketogenic diet encourages high consumption of healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and other essential nutrients. Monounsaturated fats contribute to maintaining healthy skin by supplying ceramides and fats. Omega-3 fatty acids soften rough and dry skin from the inside out preventing irritated skin. Vitamin A, which is provided by nuts, helps restore and strengthen your skin barrier encouraging higher levels of moisture retention. Moreover, vitamin E promotes the contribution of your skin’s sebum in conditioning your skin and preventing dryness. On the other hand, dry skin glands don’t produce enough oil leading to a lack of skin moisture. Seeds are an excellent food as their oil content helps counteract the lack of natural lipids in your skin.? Therefore, the high-fat content of a ketogenic diet can regulate the skin’s oil production, and improve balanced hydration minimizing signs of skin aging. These fats can help moisturize the skin from within, promoting a more supple and hydrated complexion.

The ketogenic diet may offer several benefits to your skin health. However, it is important to be knowledgeable that, staying on the ketogenic diet long-term can have adverse effects on your overall health. Here are some of the main considerations for your attention.

?What are the risks and complications of the ketogenic diet?

?1.???? Nutritional deprivation:

Many carbohydrate-rich foods including high-carb vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, which are rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber, that support overall health, are restricted in the ketogenic diet. Therefore, staying on the ketogenic diet can lead to a deficiency of these essential nutrients.

2.???? Digestive issues:

Dietary fibers are indigestible carbohydrates in plants. Staying on a diet that lacks dietary fiber for a long time, leads to several digestive problems such as constipation, diarrhea, and bloating.

?3.???? Risks for overall health:

Long-term intake of saturated fats and lack of fiber can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, a low carbohydrate diet can increase the risk of developing kidney stones. The low blood sugar levels may have an impact on brain metabolism leading to cognitive decline. Sticking to the ketogenic diet helps with rapid weight loss. This can lead to muscle loss, and can negatively affect your athletic performance.

?4.???? Detrimental to gut microbiota:

Gut microbiota plays an important role in maintaining colonic health. Bifidobacterium is a group abundant in your gut microbiota and their metabolites such as linoleic acid have direct benefits in the inhibition of colon cancers. Some studies suggest that sticking to the ketogenic diet can alter the gut microbiota decreasing Bifidobacterium and may be detrimental to colonic health. The altered gut microbial composition may increase the risk of colonic disease including colon cancers.

?5.???? Adverse side effects:

Some people experience some complications during the initial stages of carbohydrate restrictions as the body adapts to fat metabolism to produce ketone bodies as the new energy source. This is commonly referred to as the “keto flu”. These adverse effects include constipation, fatigue, low blood sugar, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and low exercise tolerance.

?While the ketogenic diet offers benefits for you, it is important to consider the potential drawbacks of this diet. Therefore, it is important to discuss any intended diet plan with a doctor, or a dietitian, especially if you are trying to manage a health problem or disease.