Is it safe to apply a keto diet for children?

Some studies suggest that it is considered safe to follow the keto diet for children. However, the researchers have yet to determine the long-term effects of this diet, so you should only give it to children under the supervision of doctors and nutritionists.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are diseases that are becoming more common in young children. The reason is that the child has less active time, combined with the child frequently eating unhealthy processed and packaged foods.

Stemming from this situation, many parents have thought of applying the keto diet to their children. However, is this diet safe? Please join aFamilyToday Health to continue watching the following shares to get answers!

What is the Keto diet?

The Keto (keto) diet has been around since 1920, but in recent times, this diet has gradually become popular due to its extremely effective calorie reduction.

This is a low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet that is good for the body. Specifically, this diet requires about 60-80% of the calories met by fat and the remaining 20–30% to be made up of carbohydrates.

When carbohydrate intake is cut, your body goes into a state called "ketosis," where it uses fat for energy because it doesn't have enough carbohydrates. This diet helps prevent cravings, reduce hunger, and help with weight loss.

In addition, keto is also very beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes because it can significantly reduce blood sugar and insulin levels. The foods used in this diet are usually vegetables and berries that are low in sugar.

Is it safe to follow the keto diet for children?

Initially, the Keto diet was used for children with a number of special diseases. Currently, this diet is still applied in some hospitals as a method to support the treatment of children with epilepsy . Studies also show that adhering to the keto diet can help reduce the frequency of seizures in children by up to 50%.

Although many studies suggest that the keto diet is safe for children, you should still consider it because it does not provide enough carbohydrates and fiber that your child's body needs. Not only that, the elimination of an entire group of foods from the diet can also lead to nutritional deficiencies . If this happens over a long period of time, this can cause the child to become irritable, slow and distracted.

In addition, the keto diet can also cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, causing children to delay development , electrolyte imbalance, increase cholesterol levels, and increase blood sugar.

In addition, children may also experience other side effects such as constipation , nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Research has also shown that this diet can increase triglyceride levels, cause kidney stones and weaken bones in children.

Not only does it affect the development and health of young children, but having them follow the keto diet for a long time can also cause them to develop unhealthy behaviors, such as eating disorders. . Therefore, if you still want your child to follow this diet to solve certain health problems, it is best to discuss with a nutritionist.

Which children is the Keto diet suitable for?

A Keto diet is often recommended for children with epilepsy to control flare-ups. In addition, this diet is also recommended for cases where a child's body does not use glucose effectively such as:

Dravet Syndrome : A rare disorder characterized by epilepsy symptoms and neurodevelopmental problems. The cause of this syndrome is usually a mutation of certain genes.

Glucose transporter deficiency syndrome type 1 (Glut 1): Syndrome of lack of protein needed to transport glucose in the body.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency syndrome: This is a metabolic disorder that prevents the body from breaking down nutrients in food properly. Symptoms are usually lethargy, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite or rapid breathing. The cause of this disease is usually caused by a mutation of the gene PDHA 1 in the body.

Lennox Gastaut Syndrome: This is a severe form of epilepsy in children characterized by intellectual disability. This condition can occur due to lack of oxygen ( asphyxiation at birth ), central nervous system (CNS) infection or serious head injury.

Should teenagers use the keto diet for weight loss?

During puberty , the child's physiology and psychology will have a lot of changes. Children can be extremely interested in appearance and feel confident, ashamed when their physique is not as expected. However, if you feed your child the keto diet for that reason, he or she will be more likely to encounter unhealthy behaviors and lead to negative thoughts about eating.

Not only that, but these behaviors can also lead to eating disorders, a very common condition in adolescents. Therefore, instead of adopting the keto diet, you should encourage your child to exercise regularly, eat scientifically, avoid snacking to limit weight gain . If you want to lose weight, instead of arbitrarily following your diet, see your doctor and ask for advice to find out the best diet.

Above are useful information about the keto diet for children that parents should pay attention to. If your baby is not in the category of this particular diet, it is not necessary for your baby to follow as this can adversely affect the child's health and development.