Satiate your sweet tooth while preserving ketosis with a Keto Bites hot chocolate. In the last decade, oxidative stress and inflammation have been identified as key underlying causes of T2D.⁴,⁵,⁶ This is potentially transformative, because while T2D has been known to be caused by insulin resistance, despite 50 years of intense research, no one has been able to pinpoint the root cause(s) of insulin resistance. Now we know that ketones at the normal levels characteristic of nutritional ketosis reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and these benefits can be traced to the actions of genes we are all born with.⁷,⁸ But without modest levels of circulating ketones, these inborn defenses don’t function properly. Stating this another way, eating a high carb diet turns off our defenses against oxidative stress and inflammation, and this deactivation in turn contributes to (if not causes) insulin resistance. Given the recent discoveries that beta-hydroxybutyrate triggers dramatic reductions in oxidative stress and inflammation, which in turn reduce the root cause of insulin resistance, there is just one remaining question-can a well-formulated ketogenic diet be followed long term?