By Luke Sumpter

Many of us are constantly looking for ways to optimise our well-being. Scores of people have turned to ketogenic diets—where most of their calories come from fat—as a means of performing better in daily life. Now, people are wondering if CBD has a place in this fat-fueled lifestyle.

WHAT IS KETO?

Keto, or the ketogenic diet, is a way of eating that features high levels of fat, moderate levels of protein, and little-to-no carbohydrates. But wait, isn’t fat supposed to be the bad guy? Well, that’s according to older and possibly defunct scientific studies. Fat is actually essential to the human body, and some forms of the macronutrient can assist with weight loss, reduce the risk of heart disease, and stave off inflammation.

Most of us realize that glucose, or sugar, is the body's primary source of fuel. This molecule is stored as glycogen within the muscles and the liver and is required to produce energy at the cellular level in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The body achieves this via both the anaerobic and aerobic energy pathways. However, when an individual is eating a ketogenic diet and exposes their body to little-to-no levels of glucose, the body turns to another source of fuel.

The lack of glucose within the bloodstream and lack of glycogen supply puts the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. This state means the body has become very efficient at burning stored body fat as fuel. Fat is taken from the cells and transported to the liver where it is turned into ketones, which can fuel the body.

Signs that a person has entered a ketogenic state include weight loss, increased levels of ketones in the blood, decreased appetite, increased energy, short-term fatigue, and temporarily decreased physical performance.

Many people report more balanced energy throughout the day, as opposed to the peaks and troughs of energy when blood sugar rises and falls. This diet has also been shown to exhibit beneficial effects in cases of Alzheimer’s, cancer, and epilepsy.

CBD

WHAT IS CBD?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a phytocannabinoid produced by the trichomes of the cannabis plant. It serves the purpose of a secondary metabolite within the herb and has an important ecological function. The cannabinoid has gained serious attention well beyond cannabis culture thanks to consistent mainstream media coverage, not to mention its lack of intoxicating effects.

CBD is attracted to the 5-HT1A serotonin receptors and vanilloid receptors within the body. The molecule also indirectly affects the CB1 and CB2 receptors of the endocannabinoid system as an antagonist. Ongoing studies are testing CBD’s efficacy in models of athletic recovery, inflammation, mental performance, and much more.

CBD AND KETO: A POWERFUL MATCH?

Many people start keto and CBD not out of an attempt to reduce symptoms, but to boost their performance and optimise their lifestyle. Athletes and health enthusiasts embrace the combination to reach their goals and boost quality of life. However, people who experience symptoms of various health conditions also use this combination therapeutically. Both keto and CBD have been well-studied and have shown rather similar outcomes, suggesting a powerful synergy between the two.

Keto CBD

INFLAMMATION

Inflammation occurs when white blood cells release chemicals into the blood or tissues to protect the body against harmful substances. This can also occur as a result of injury, chronic disease, and autoimmune conditions. Symptoms of inflammation include redness, swelling, pain, stiffness, heat, and loss of joint function.

A 2015 paper[1] published in the journal Epilepsia discusses the anti-inflammatory effects of the ketogenic diet. The authors state that the diet induces thermal nociception and decreases peripheral edema, pointing toward an anti-inflammatory effect.

Scientists are constantly testing CBD in models of inflammation, but they’re interested in the molecule’s analogues, too. Research published in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry explored this arsenal of chemicals[2] in cases of colitis, collagen-induced arthritis, B-amyloid-induced neuroinflammation, and acute lung injury. 

EPILEPSY

The ketogenic diet is an established treatment for refractory epilepsy, meaning epilepsy that does not respond to forms of treatment. The diet has been used successfully for this purpose since the 1920s. A 2008 paper[3] published in The Lancet documents a study that tested the effects of the ketogenic diet on drug-resistant epilepsy in children. 145 children aged 2–16 who experienced daily seizures and failed to respond to seizure medication were enrolled in the trial. 73 children were placed into the ketogenic group, and 72 were placed into the control group. Data from 103 children was analyzed, with 54 being from the keto group. After a period of 3 months, the percentage of seizures was significantly lower in the keto group.

CBD initially rose to fame following media reports concerning childhood epilepsy patients. Researchers are working hard to see if the cannabinoid influences the cognitive pathways involved in seizures, and if it affects seizure frequency[4].

Glucosa

CANCER

Cancer refers to a group of diseases that involve abnormal cell growth that eventually spreads to other areas of the body. In 2018, an estimated 1.7 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States alone. Conventional treatments for the disease include chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, emerging alternatives such as the ketogenic diet and CBD are showing interesting results. Although both are in very early stages of research, the results are still fascinating.

A 2007 paper[5] published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism states that a calorie-restricted ketogenic diet is an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer. The authors describe that although normal brain cells can use both glucose and ketone bodies for energy, brain tumour cells lack metabolic flexibility and are dependant on glucose for growth and survival. Thus, a ketogenic state could effectively cut off the energy supply to brain tumour cells.

The study mentioned in the paper tested the effects of a new, nutritionally balanced high-fat and low-carbohydrate keto diet on the growth of brain tumour cells in mice and in vitro. It was found that the diet had antitumour and anti-angiogenic effects on both types of cells.

Where does CBD stand when it comes to cancer? Well, researchers are looking at the endocannabinoid system as a target for cancer treatment[6], and many cannabinoids are candidates for honing in on this regulatory network. A study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics looked at the efficacy of CBD specifically in models of apoptosis (controlled cell death)[7]—a desirable mechanism for cancer medicines. 

Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: