The Benefits Of CBD Oil For The Keto Diet

 The keto, or ketogenic, diet has become a hot topic of conversation in health and wellness circles.

Many keto diet benefits mirror the benefits of CBD oil, the oil made from the cannabis-extract cannabidiol.

But is CBD keto friendly? The short answer is yes.

In fact, CBD oil may even help you reach your keto goals — and a keto diet could help make CBD more effective. Sounds like a win-win, huh?

That said, there are some deets you should be aware of to make the most out of keto with CBD, and get the most out of CBD with keto.

Read on to learn how to optimize both your CBD usage and keto diet!

The Keto Diet Explained

If you’re here, you probably know some keto basics. But we’ll run down the definition just in case.

A ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low carb diet. The goal of the keto diet is to help the body enter a fat-burning state known as ketosis.

In a state of ketosis, burned fat becomes ketones which are fuel for the body and brain.

Carbs are usually restricted to 50 grams per day. The rest of the diet is packed with your choice of meat, fish, nuts, dairy, and good fats such as avocado oil and unrefined coconut oil.

The keto diet is usually a short-term thing, helping people reach or get on track to meet a specific goal in several weeks or months.

CBD Oil & Keto: Friends With Wellness Benefits

For those looking to take charge of their health, both CBD oil and a keto diet can be helpful tools independently or together.

When you cross-reference some of the perks of going keto with CBD oil’s measured benefits, there are some interesting parallels that suggest they may even have a synergistic effect. In other words: Keto might enhance CBD’s benefits, and CBD might enhance keto’s benefits.

Let’s zoom in on the science behind this possibility.

CBD Oil & Keto For Weight Loss

Weight loss is a popular reason to start a keto diet, and it’s backed by research. Several studies have found that a ketogenic diet can help shed excess pounds. It’s even been found to be more effective than a low fat diet.(1)

CBD also has documented anti-obesity effects.(2)

Where these weight management solutions collide is how they work.

First, it helps to understand that there are two types of fat cells:

• White fat cells store energy and provide insulation to parts of your body that need it, like your organs.
• Brown fat cells contain energy, but they’re ready to be burned off. The more brown fat cells your body has, the easier it is to lose weight.

Browning of fat cells is when white fat cells are converted into brown fat cells. CBD’s been found to help with the fat cell browning process.(3)

In a state of ketosis, the body has no more carbohydrates to burn, so it turns to fat for energy. If CBD is increasing brown fat cells, it could help expedite the fat burning process. In turn, taking CBD oil while on a keto diet might help you reach your weight loss goals faster.

Since excess body fat is linked to blood sugar imbalance, losing weight with CBD and a keto diet may positively affect those with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and insulin resistance.(4)

Not to mention all the other health benefits associated with maintaining a healthy weight!

CBD & Keto For Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural immune response. However, it can get out of hand and cause a whole host of issues. These range from occasional aches to chronic health challenges.(5)

Since inflammation can cause physical pain, it has the potential to put a damper on physical activity and influence quality of life. That makes managing inflammation crucial for overall health.

This is where both CBD and a keto diet can really shine.

CBD oil interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system in a way that reduces inflammation.(6)

Many people who follow a keto diet report reduced pain and inflammation. Experts currently believe that ketones resulting from a keto diet inhibit the immune response that causes inflammation.(7)

If you’re looking to knock out inflammation in your body, CBD and a keto diet might deliver the one-two punch. (Isn’t that swell? Well, actually the total opposite! Haha.)

Neuroprotective Properties Of CBD & A Keto Diet

If we’re talking about health, we can’t forget about the brain.

Independently, a keto diet and CBD oil show promise for reducing symptoms of neurological conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.(8, 9)

On the keto side, neuroprotective effects come from the energy efficiency of the diet, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory effects, and protection against cell death.

For CBD, its ability to reduce inflammation and its ability to interact with CB1 receptors in the central nervous system add up to neuroprotective properties.

The neurological results of CBD and a keto diet might not be noticeable for months or years. But, giving them a chance to do their stuff today could have lasting benefits.

High-Quality Fats Do A Body Good

At first thought, a high-fat diet sounds like a bad idea. After all, fat can build up in arteries and cause high cholesterol and other diseases. Right?

Not so fast. “Good” fats such as monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat can actually reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and combat inflammation.

There’s also strong evidence that suggests eating meals containing fat can increase the bioavailability and effectiveness of CBD oil.(10)

The keto diet naturally encourages more good fats through eating fatty fish, nuts, and avocados. That means taking CBD oil with your keto meals could make the CBD more effective.

CBD oil can be a source of good fat, too — depending on the carrier oil. MCT oil is a great example of a good fat you’ll find in CBD.

MCT is short for medium chain triglycerides. MCTs are naturally occurring in coconut oil, but MCT oil provides a more concentrated boost. MCT oil can help:(11)

• Improve bioavailability (absorbability) of cannabinoids such as CBD and nutrients in food
• Reduce appetite and cravings
• Increase energy
• Decrease inflammation

All of the above is why MCT oil is our carrier oil of choice at Pure Craft. It’s in our CBD oil drops, making our CBD tinctures vegan-friendly and keto-approved.

Using CBD Oil On A Keto Diet

If you’re on or have tried a keto diet, you’re probably accustomed to double-checking labels and doing some online sleuthing to make sure everything you eat is keto-approved. Don’t change that habit when it comes to shopping for CBD oil.

Here’s your shopping checklist for keto-friendly CBD products.

• Avoid sugar and corn syrup. Go for a CBD oil sweetened with stevia instead. Stevia is super low in carbs, making it a-okay as an alternative sweetener on the keto diet.
• Use a CBD oil product with a carrier oil that complements your keto diet, such as MCT oil.
• Find a product made from organically-cultivated hemp to avoid exposure to agricultural chemicals. After all, you’re on a keto diet to improve your health — you don’t need to be back-tracking by consuming toxins.
• Choose a CBD keto product you’ll remember to take with meals for max absorption and benefits. That might be CBD softgels, or a CBD oil tincture. You can also supplement your consumables with a topical CBD cream, or make your own keto CBD fat bombs.

Complement Ketosis With CBD Oil

CBD and keto just might be a perfect match. The keto diet can be an effective way to reach specific wellness goals — like achieving a healthy weight or balancing your blood sugar. CBD oil won’t take you out of ketosis, and its properties might amplify the results of a keto diet.

Choosing the right CBD product is the first step to getting started with your keto + CBD combination. Once you have it on hand, take it with a snack or meal for a keto-friendly benefits boost.

SHOP KETO-FRIENDLY CBD OIL

References

1. Goss, AM, et al. (2020). Effects of weight loss during a very low carbohydrate diet on specific adipose tissue depots and insulin sensitivity in older adults with obesity: a randomized clinical trial. Nutrition & metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-020-00481-9
2. Johnson, J. (2020). Can CBD Help You Lose Weight? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324733
3. Rossi, F, et al. (2018). Role of Cannabinoids in Obesity. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19092690
4. Westman, EC, et al. (2018). Implementing a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus. Expert review of endocrinology & metabolism. ttps://doi.org/10.1080/17446651.2018.1523713
5. Martinez, K. (2020). Everything you need to know about inflammation. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248423
6. Atalay, S, et al. (2019). Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol. Antioxidants. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9010021
7. Masino, SA, et al.  (2013). Ketogenic diets and pain. Journal of child neurology. https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073813487595
8. Cheng, D, et al. (2014). Long-term cannabidiol treatment prevents the development of social recognition memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice. Journal of Alzheimer's disease. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-140921
9. Gasior, M, et al. (2006). Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet. Behavioural pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1097/00008877-200609000-00009
10. Roberston, S. (2019). Does Diet Affect CBD Absorption? News-Medical.Net. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Does-Diet-Affect-CBD-Absorption.aspx
11. Babayan, VK. (1987). Medium chain triglycerides and structured lipids. Lipids. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02537271