What is Keto Flu?

Before answering the question "Is Keto Flu a disease?", we should explain first what Keto Flu is. Keto Flu refers to the possible onset of a series of physical manifestations in the first or second week after a ketogenic diet is started. From the perspective of the name "Keto Flu", most people believe this symptom is a cold or flu. In fact, only people on a ketogenic diet may develop Keto Flu and it only means that the human body is adapting to fat as its main energy supply.

The manifestations of Keto Flu vary from person to person. For example, some people may have no manifestations of Keto Flu during the adaptation period, while some may have difficulty in adapting to the transition period of energy supply to the human body. However, Keto Flu will dissipate on its own within a few days to a few weeks.

What is the onset time of Keto Flu?

There are clues for the onset time of Keto Flu. It generally occurs in the middle of the first week during which the carbohydrate intake is reduced and dissipates at the end of the second week. When the glycogen stored in the human body is consumed, blood glucose will drop to a lower level than normal, which can be observed by the SiAmbulatory® Glucometer through CGM (continuous glucose monitoring). At this stage, the human body will change the way it handles electrolytes, food, and water so as to better adapt to the low-carbohydrate environment.

Various body organs will also give some feedback during this period. For example, the kidneys will excrete salt and water more actively, and other electrolyte levels will be continuously and dynamically adjusted. When most of the available glycogen is consumed, the liver will start to work and produce ketone. The metabolic mechanism of the human body to adapt to the ketone will change.

It will take about one to two weeks for the human body to adapt to the process. During this adaptation period, the human body in a situation of dramatic instability will generally develop the symptoms of Keto Flu. However, if the human body can adapt to such changes quickly, Keto Flu will soon dissipate and the human body will get better.

How to alleviate Keto Flu?

What can we do to alleviate relevant symptoms in case of Keto Flu? There are multiple actions that can alleviate and reduce the severity and duration of symptoms caused by Keto Flu. First, increase water intake. This will make the human body excrete more water than before and stay in a healthy metabolic state. Therefore, a certain water intake should be guaranteed throughout the day as far as possible. Second, increase the intake of healthy fat. This will make the human body adapt to the environment in shortage of carbohydrates as soon as possible, and provide the human body with the substrate required for producing ketones as an energy supply. Third, guarantee adequate sleep. At least 7 to 8 hours of sleep should be guaranteed so that the human body can get over Keto Flu in a gentle state even during sleep. Fourth, drink nutritious bone soup. Drinking about 1 to 2 bowls of bone soup every day can improve physical quality as the bone soup cooked over a fire contains essential vitamins and minerals required by the human body.

Questions about Keto Flu

Could Keto Flu be frequently recurrent as a cold? 

Depending on the adherence to the ketogenic diet, someone may develop intermittent symptoms of Keto Flu. There are two possible causes. First, the human body lacks a certain amount of electrolytes, minerals, or fat to keep it functioning well. The second cause is that instead of following a ketogenic diet, someone occasionally takes a lot of carbohydrates or protein, making the human body to enter and exit the ketosis once in a while, which can be difficult for the human body to adjust to and can cause intermittent symptoms of Keto Flu.

Is Keto Flu dangerous? 

Although the overall feeling brought by Keto Flu is not good, it does not mean that Keto Flu is dangerous. It is just a manifestation that the human body is adapting to a new environment. In fact, the environment is always changing, and the human body will constantly adapt to the new one. Keto Flu is just one of these new environments.