The most important thing for people over forty to consider is their current level of health. If they have a chronic illness such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure and cholesterol levels etc.) or kidney problems, it is highly likely that they were caused by diet and lifestyle in the first place. So, when starting the keto diet, you do not want to make these conditions worse.

The keto diet is high in fat so it would be a good idea to get your cholesterol checked before starting this diet. This is because a lot of fat in your diet can increase cholesterol levels in the body. The possibility of having increased cholesterol is more likely as you move into middle age so this is definitely something that you need to be mindful of when thinking about the safety of the keto diet.

As we age our metabolism slows down which makes it harder to burn fat. One of the dangers of the keto diet is that it is high calorie. This is because fat has over twice the number of calories of carbohydrate and protein. This is another reason why you should not fall into the trap of thinking you can eat copious amounts of fat; such as adding full-fat cream to your 6 cups of coffee a day! Just because you are on the keto diet, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be keeping an eye on calorie intake. Eating less calories than you burn is the only way you will actually lose weight. 

As we age we start to lose muscle mass and this starts to become more apparent in our 40s. When following the keto diet don’t just focus on fat, protein is incredibly important too. We need protein to repair our muscles and organs, especially following exercise.