Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet (68 page)

Medium-chain triglycerides:
Also known as MCTs, these aid in fat oxidation and temporarily increase the production of ketones.

Meta-analysis:
An analysis that combines the results of many scientific studies to look for patterns in the data and examine new relationships that may be scientifically relevant for further study.

Metabolic syndrome:
A group of conditions, including elevated blood pressure, high blood sugar, increased levels of body fat in the waist, and high cholesterol levels, that combined can predict your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Micronutrient:
Any nutrient used by humans in proper minimal levels for optimal physical function.

Mitochondria:
Known as the power plants of the cell, these generate ATP for energy. When this process is impaired, it is implicated in a variety of diseases, mostly commonly neurological ones.

Monounsaturated fat:
Often referred to as “MUFAs” (monounsaturated fatty acids), these are fats that have one double bond in their carbon chains. One of the healthy fats (along with saturated fat), it’s found in foods such as avocados, olive oil, red meat, and whole dairy products.

Myopathy:
A muscular disease in which the muscle fibers do not function properly, resulting in muscular weakness.

Polyunsaturated fat:
Often referred to as “PUFAs” (polyunsaturated fatty acids), these are fats that have more than one double bond in their carbon chains. As a result, they are chemically unstable and very prone to oxidation, which can lead to the production of free radicals and inflammation in the body. These are found mostly in vegetable oils such as canola, corn, and soybean oil.

Saturated fat:
Fatty acids that have no double bonds in their carbon chain; the preferred fat when attempting to get into ketosis.

Standard American Diet:
The typical diet of Americans today, composed of around 50 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein, and 35 percent fat.

Triglyceride:
The major form of stored fat. The breakdown of triglyceride in the liver leads to the generation of ketone bodies.

Type 1 diabetes:
The autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, which leads to an increase in blood glucose levels.

Type 2 diabetes:
The most common form of diabetes, it is the presence of high blood sugar levels with a diminished capacity of insulin due to severe insulin resistance. It can usually be managed well by consuming a low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, high-fat diet.

Type 3 diabetes:
Another name used by researchers for Alzheimer’s disease; in people with Alzheimer’s insulin does not respond appropriately in the brain.

VO2 max:
The maximum amount of oxygen, in milliliters, an individual can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight.

Jimmy Moore:
I’m having déjà vu all over again, writing my second book about a year after my last one. But this time around the process was a lot smoother, thanks to the experience I got writing
Cholesterol Clarity
in 2013. I would be remiss if I didn’t share my sincerest gratitude to those who helped make this book a reality.

To my wife, Christine, who stands by me daily, offering up encouragement and loving support every step of the way: I cannot imagine going through life without you being a part of it. Well, you and dark chocolate.

To my brilliant coauthor, Dr. Eric Westman, who shared so freely of his time and passed along the tremendous experience he has garnered about ketogenic diets in both research and the clinical realm with patients: “Thank you” just doesn’t seem adequate. I know you probably got tired of me sending you a dozen emails and calling you on the telephone every single day for months, but I think the end product is something pretty special, and I hope you are as proud of it as I am. It’s an exciting time for the keto message, and I look forward to collaborating with you on future books and projects to help spread the word even more.

To the ketosis experts featured in the “Moment of Clarity” quotes: You’ve added such depth to the content, and I appreciate your contributions to this book immensely.

To my publishing team, Erich, Michele, Erin, Holly, and everyone who worked behind the scenes at Victory Belt: Thanks for giving me the honor of writing this book. Lives will be changed for the better because people read this book and improved their health. I’m looking forward to writing books for you for many years to come.

Dr. Eric Westman
: I am grateful for the education provided by my formal ongoing meetings (the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, the Nutrition and Metabolism Society) and the “in-the-trenches” training that can only be obtained through patient care. This book would not have been possible without the teaching from my patients (who started the Low Carb Support Group) and my ketosis colleagues Stephen D. Phinney and Jeff S. Volek. Most of all, I am grateful to my family and friends for their support.