NUH’s Healthy Keto Diet Causes Weight Loss Without Raising Bad Cholesterol

SINGAPORE – Weighing 115kg and 1.74m tall, Mr Tan Ban Thong struggled to buy clothes. Walking a short distance left him out of breath and flying was difficult as airplane seats were often not wide enough.

The 60-year-old deputy human resources manager is in much better shape today after losing 25kg last year.

The shortness of breath is gone and he has better control of his health issues, including diabetes, hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The secret to its success is the healthy ketogenic diet developed by Dr. Lim Su Lin, chief dietitian at National University Hospital (NUH).

The main feature of the diet is to maintain a net carbohydrate (carbohydrate minus fiber) level of 50g or less per day to induce ketosis, where stored fat (instead of glucose) is broken down to provide energy.

This equates to three or 3½ slices of white bread or 1¼ cups of rice per day.

“In many weight loss diets, people (quit) usually because of feeling hungry,” Dr. Lim said, at an event to share the results of a diet study at NUH on Wednesday.

On a healthy keto diet, however, once a person reaches ketosis in typically two to three days, the gut will naturally produce higher levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that helps increase satiety and reduce cravings. , she added.

It’s different from traditional keto diets, where you can eat a lot of saturated fat and red meats instead of carbs. Such diets have been linked to increased levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol.

This keto diet emphasizes healthy fats, such as those found in nuts, seeds, fatty fish, and unsaturated oils, along with lean protein, high fiber in non-starchy vegetables, and low carb fruits. Fat consumption is kept to less than 50% of total daily energy, unlike a traditional keto diet, in which fat can make up 90% of total daily energy. The healthy keto diet also restricts calories based on a person’s profile.

Dr. Lim said diet participants in an ongoing clinical trial showed no increase in LDL levels after six months, nor after a year.

The trial involves 80 participants who are national academic health system staff, like Mr. Tan. They all have a body mass index – a measurement that uses height and weight to determine if one is a healthy weight – of over 27.5.

The group assigned to the healthy keto diet lost an average of 7.4 kg over six months, while another group assigned a standard low-fat, low-calorie diet, losing an average of 4.2 kg. They used NUH’s nBuddy keto mobile app to help them select their food.

At six months, all participants with diabetes or prediabetes had success in lowering their blood sugar, while 70% of those with high blood pressure saw it improve. Those who followed the healthy keto diet closely also saw a reduced reliance on their prescribed medications and an overall better quality of life.