Share on PinterestFollowing a ketogenic diet could help stave off Alzheimer’s, research suggests. Clique Images/StocksyA ketogenic (keto) diet can slow the arrival of the mild cognitive loss that signals the development of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study in mice suggests.The authors of the study found that a low-carb, high-fat keto diet results in an increase in BHB molecules that have been associated with protection against neuroinflammation.Experts have expressed a need for confirmatory support in humans, particularly since “Alzheimer’s disease” in mice does not fully replicate the human version.
In a new study using a mouse model, a ketogenic (keto) diet postponed the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Delaying Alzheimer’s is being credited with a sevenfold increase in the mice’s levels of the beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) molecule.
The BHB molecule has been associated with delays in the onset of mild cognitive dementia typical of the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The molecule is also found in humans, where it’s produced when the body burns fat for energy in order to feed the body’s mitochondria. The molecule supports the transfer of energy from the liver to the rest of the body when glucose levels are insufficient.
The authors of the study from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have previously published research finding that BHB, depending on dosage, is anti-inflammatory for human brain cells inflamed by beta-amyloid plaques.
These plaques were, for a time, considered the main cause of Alzheimer’s. Yet, many people have the plaques who never develop Alzheimer’s, and foundational research that identified them as an Alzheimer’s cause has since been discredited.
The new study involved genetically modified APP/PS1 mice who express a mouse/human amyloid precursor protein as well as a mutant human presenilin 1 gene. Both target central nervous system neurons.
The mice were bred at UC Davis. Their female and male offspring lived in a 12-hour light and 12-hour dark environment, with up to four mice in a cage eating a standard mouse chow diet for six months. At that age, they were assigned to weight-balanced groups, with each mouse…