The trendy keto diet used by the Kardashian sisters could help prevent Alzheimer’s, scientists say.
Researchers discovered a molecule shown to prevent early memory decline increased sevenfold on the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet sampled by countless celebs and sports stars, including LeBron James.
Scientists found that mice given enough of the molecule to mimic seven months of the diet demonstrated improved pathways in the brain associated with memory.
The team of American researchers behind the study, published in the journal Communications Biology, say the diet could soon be recommended to promote healthy aging – especially in women.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that aims to shift the body’s metabolism from using glucose as its main fuel source to burning fat and producing ketones – a chemical in the liver – for energy.
The diet includes foods such as seafood, meat and poultry, non-starchy vegetables, eggs and high-fat dairy products.
It has been subscribed to by a long list of famous faces including NBA basketball star LeBron James and actors Gwyneth Paltrow and Halle Berry, as well as reality TV stars Kim and Kourtney Kardashian.
Researchers from the University of California (UC), Davis, previously discovered that mice live up to 13 percent longer on ketogenic diets, and looked to study its positive effects further.
Their new study found the molecule beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, plays a pivotal role in preventing early memory decline – and that this molecule increases almost seven-fold on the keto diet.
“The data support the idea that the ketogenic diet in general, and BHB specifically, delays mild cognitive impairment and it may delay full-blown Alzheimer’s disease,” co-author Dr. Gino Cortopassi, a biochemist and pharmacologist with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said.
“But the data clearly don’t support the idea that this is eliminating Alzheimer’s disease entirely.”
The research team gave mice enough BHB to simulate the benefits of being on the keto diet for seven months and found that nerve cells associated with memory were better connected.
Dr. Izumi Maezawa, a professor of pathology at the UC Davis School of Medicine and another co-author of the study, explained: “We observed amazing abilities of BHB to improve the function of synapses, small structures that connect all nerve cells in the brain.
“When nerve cells are better connected, the memory problems in mild cognitive impairment are improved.”
The researchers added that the molecule BHB is already available as a supplement for humans which could likely improve memory in mice, though it’s not yet been proven.
The researchers also found that the keto diet mice exhibited significant increases in the biochemical pathways related to memory formation.
The keto diet appears to benefit females more than males, as it results in higher levels of BHB in the female mice.
“If these results translated to humans, that could be interesting since females – especially those bearing the ApoE4 gene variant – are at significantly higher risk for Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Cortopassi said.
The team is optimistic about the potential impact the keto diet and BHB could have on healthy aging and plans to delve further into the subject with upcoming studies.
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
