CHANDIGARH
Often, ketogenic diarrhea is actually known as steatorrhea, a special type of diarrhea caused by having too much fat in the stool. Some people experience keto diarrhea in the first few days after eating, while some of them face diarrhea weeks or months later.
What Causes Keto Diarrhea?
The main cause of high-fat keto diarrhea is the consumption of a very high-fat diet. Fat takes longer to break down in the body than carbohydrates and protein.
If you suddenly start eating a lot of fat, your digestive system will have a hard time keeping up. Because some fats are not broken down properly and are excreted, they are not absorbed well and may not be fully absorbed by the body. As per nutritionists, this can lead to fecal steatorrhea, such as high-fat diarrhea.
Dietary Fiber Deficiency
Another cause of ketogenic diarrhea is a sudden dietary fiber deficiency associated with a marked decrease in carbohydrate intake. “It can be confusing that a low fiber intake is causing diarrhea because fiber is used for constipation,” says experts.
Artificial Sweeteners
Keto desserts can also cause keto diarrhea. “Many artificial sweeteners, such as sugar alcohols, sweet beverages are difficult to digest,” they say. Consuming large amounts of artificially sweetened desserts can lead to nausea and diarrhea.
If you have adopted a ketogenic diet for weeks or months and have just started facing diarrhea, this may be due to unwanted changes in your gut microbiota. You can’t get a lot of prebiotic fiber without fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods. And without prebiotic fiber, you won’t get the food the healthy probiotic bacteria in your gut need to thrive. This can increase the frequency of diarrhea and other unpleasant side effects.
Keto diarrhea doesn’t last forever. If you use your digestive system to break down all the fat, stools may start to collect within a week or two. If keto diarrhea does not stop in a week then you need to switch to increase fiber intake in which you need to add items that contain less amount of carbohydrates, starchy vegetables and avoid artificial sweeteners and sugar made items.