Can a low-carb Keto Zone diet actually increase calorie burn to help you lose weight?

A recent study says it can.

But how can eating specific foods burn calories?

Sure, Keto Zone can reduce calorie intake by using more satisfying foods like healthy fats and proteins. Study after study shows that low-carb dieters simply eat fewer calories (1).

And, Keto Zone eating omits all the empty calories from sugars and refined grains.

We also know that our bodies require more energy, or calorie output, to digest and metabolize proteins and fats than they do carbs. But this output is not nearly as high as the numbers of calorie burn presented by this recent study.

Here’s what this study showed about calorie burn and hormone response of low carbohydrate diets like Keto Zone.

The Study: Low Carbs Cause an Increase Calorie Burn?

In November 2018, Dr. David S Ludwig and Dr. Cara B. Ebbeling presented their findings at “Obesity Week 2018” and to the BMJ (the British Medical Journal).

Their study had two phases. The first phase included 162 participants, and the second included 120 participants. The participants were 18-65 years old and had BMIs of 25 or greater.

During the course of the study, the participants were provided diets that were high carbohydrate, moderate carbohydrate, or low carbohydrate.

Their calorie expenditure and change thereof, insulin, ghrelin, and leptin were all measured.

The Results

During the first phase of the experiment, the moderate carb participants burned 91 more calories per day than high carbohydrate diet participants (with all other variable accounted for). The low carb participants burned 209 more calories per day than the high carb participants.

In the second phase, the moderate carb participants burned 131 more calories per day than high carb; the low carb participants burned 278 more calories per day than high carb participants.

When the researchers looked at insulin secretion, they found that the participants with the highest insulin secretion (pre-study) showed the biggest increase in calories burned per day. They burned 308 more calories per day than high carb participants in the first phase, and 478 more calories per day in the second phase.

Lastly, ghrelin and leptin levels were significantly lower in the low carb participants than the high carb participants (2).

Why is this significant?

First, high insulin secretion is a big-time problem.

In fact, it’s estimated that approximately 36% of Americans are obese,  and another 32% are overweight. Even moderate obesity significantly increases the risk of blood glucose impairment, high insulin, and Diabetes. When blood sugars are impaired and insulin is secreted at high levels chronically, there are detrimental outcomes:

• Our bodies tend to store more fat and burn less
• Our cells become more and more resistant to insulin, requiring more and more to be secreted
• Our bodies are more susceptible to many diseases including metabolic syndrome, heart disease, cancers, etc.

Second, when dieters use traditional diets to lose weight, they tend to expend fewer and fewer calories as they lose weight. Their bodies reduce calorie output for every pound lost often contributing to weight loss plateaus.

Anything that helps offset this decline in calorie output is very helpful during weight loss and will help improve weight loss outcomes.

Third, ghrelin and leptin levels have a big influence on our calorie consumption and weight.

Ghrelin is a hormone that signals our brain for hunger. It often becomes impaired in overweight adults (3).

Leptin is the opposite hormone t ghrelin. It signals our brains that we are full. It can also become impaired with obesity, and with high sugar diets (4).

When our bodies do not produce or respond to these hormones correctly, it can be difficult to lose weight. A low-carb diet helps improve our sensitivity to them, improve weight loss outcomes.

Fourth, 200-500 calories (the extra calories burned per day by low carb participants) is significant for weight loss. Many times, studies show an increase in 20, 30, or 50 calories per day. This can be helpful, but not really efficient for weight loss. Two hundred, or more, however, can really make a difference in seeing the scale move lower.

Bottom Line

Eating a Keto Zone diet with low carbohydrates and high amounts of healthy fats can increase calorie output and improve hormone balance to expedite fat loss.