A new study has found that following a keto diet prevents mild cognitive impairment, which often appears in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, by altering how brain cells connect and communicate. Researchers suggest that adopting the keto diet could be a means to delay the full onset of Alzheimer's disease.
#### Multiple Benefits
According to what was published by "New Atlas," citing the journal "Communications Biology," the keto diet, which is low in carbohydrates or high in fats and moderately high in protein, remains somewhat controversial. However, several studies have indicated that keto can extend lifespan, provide protection against seizures, and enhance chemotherapy outcomes. The findings of the new study conducted by researchers at the University of California are likely to add to the list of benefits of the keto diet. The researchers discovered that a keto diet, at least in mice, resulted in a significant delay in mild cognitive impairment typically seen in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease by increasing levels of the molecule beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB).
#### Delaying Alzheimer's Onset
Gino Cortopassi, one of the researchers, stated: "The data support the idea that the keto diet in general, and BHB in particular, delays mild cognitive impairment, which can potentially delay the full-blown Alzheimer's disease." He noted that "the data clearly does not support the idea that the keto diet completely eradicates Alzheimer's disease."
The keto diet began in 1921 as a means to suppress epileptic seizures, and while its mechanism of action remains unclear, it is still a therapeutic option for epilepsy cases, especially when seizures are resistant to treatment. Recently, it has been explored as a way to enhance cognitive performance and alleviate symptoms of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
#### Alternative Energy Source
The goal of the diet is to shift the body's primary fuel source from glucose to burning fat for energy. When glucose stores are very low compared to the body's active needs—which occurs with the keto diet due to the very small amounts of carbohydrates consumed—the liver breaks down fatty acids into ketones, including BHB. Most organs and tissues, including the brain, can use ketones as an alternative energy source.
#### 13% Longer Lifespan
In the current study, researchers expanded on their previous research, which discovered that mice lived 13% longer when following a keto diet, to see how the brains of mice responded to this diet. The researchers fed Alzheimer’s-disease-afflicted lab mice a keto diet for seven months and assessed cognitive memory and synaptic plasticity, which is the ability of the sites where neurons connect and communicate to change their structure and/or function.
After the keto meal, levels of the molecule BHB increased significantly in both male and female mice compared to the control group. In fasting conditions, BHB levels were higher than in fed conditions and significantly higher in females.
#### Memory Storage Mechanism
When researchers examined the brains of mice on a keto diet, they found that the memory storage mechanism in the brain had been "rescued" significantly. The genes related to synaptic plasticity were organized, but there was no decrease in beta-amyloid plaques, which are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. The results suggest that the way the diet works—or BHB specifically—was to rescue cognitive function and memory by improving synaptic plasticity.
Isumi Maizawa, another researcher involved in the study, remarked: "Incredible capabilities of BHB have been observed to improve synaptic function, which are the small structures connecting all the neurons in the brain," explaining that "when neurons are better connected, memory issues in mild cognitive impairment improve."
#### Available as a Dietary Supplement
BHB is available for purchase as a dietary supplement; however, researchers warn that at this stage, the effects of BHB on mice memory and cognitive performance have not been confirmed, so large amounts of BHB supplements should perhaps not be taken at this time. Although ketone supplements are generally considered safe, they can cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Ketones are often associated with salt and sodium or potassium or calcium or magnesium, so excessive consumption is not recommended.
