A study published late last year showed that eating a high fat, low carbohydrate diet which induces a state of ketosis, also known as a ketogenic diet, may be beneficial in preventing neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease. Researchers in Belgium studied mice fed either a high carbohydrate, low fat diet or the ketogenic type diet for seven weeks. They observed that the mice given the high fat diet had greatly elevated levels of ketones indicating they were in a state of ketogenesis, as expected. However, what was not expected was that the mice exhibited reduced amounts of amyloid-beta, which makes up plaques in the brains of patients afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
Some past studies have indicated that high fat diets contribute to oxidative stress and increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders. However, the authors of this study suggest the opposite and state, "the recent evolutionary switch to high carbohydrate (HC) diets may play an important role in development of AD. HC diets are well known to stimulate insulin signaling and result in a suppression of lipid metabolism". This may help explain why Alzheimer's disease is continuing to increase as the population ages. Omega-3 fatty acids also play a pivotal role in neurological development and neurodegenerative diseases. It appears the content of the diet may pose greater significance than was once thought in diseases of the central nervous system.
This study was published in the October 2005 issue of the peer reviewed journal, Nutrition and Metabolism, titled "A ketogenic diet reduces amyloid beta 40 and 42 in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease".
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on May 29, 2006 05:33 PM
