Does Ketogenic Diet help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?
Following a fancy diet plan seems to be the go-to solution for all mental health-related problems. Some people also say a ketogenic diet can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. I am wondering if there is any truth in it?
For a condition like Alzheimer’s Disease, where so much research and case studies are ongoing, surely there has to be a solid answer.
To answer your question: No, a Ketogenic diet cannot completely prevent Alzheimer’s disease but can only help manage the symptoms.
Let’s look at how a ketogenic diet can help an Alzheimer’s Disease patient prevent its deadly symptoms at early-onset.
A lot of research has been done on the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers have explored the factors like plaques, tangles, and myelin but a lot needs to be still explored, especially in areas like prevention and cure of this condition with diet and nutrition.
Evidence tells us that a low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet may help to lessen the damage caused by these brain invaders. The ketogenic diet could alleviate the effects of impaired glucose metabolism by providing ketones as a supplementary energy source.
This diet may also help reduce the formation of amyloid plaques. A Keto diet can be a viable option for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease provided ketone production and carbohydrate restriction is in the active state. [1]
Keto-Mediet Approach with Coconut Oil
For a person to perform optimally in cognitive-based tasks, the brain regions like the hippocampus (HPC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) need to have a high speed of communication with each other, which normally declines with age.
Usually, coconut oil is not considered healthy as it is very high in saturated fat (lauric acid) and doctors advise its consumption in moderation for those suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Research shows that a Keto-Mediet has plenty of benefits for a person with cognitive decline.
The Keto-Mediet is a combination of ketogenic and Mediterranean diet benefits, it is rich in essential vitamins and considers saturated fat-rich coconut oil as a substitute for animal fat.
According to a study done by Ms. BaoChin Perng from Los Angeles, a Keto- Mediet can help an aging person with Alzheimer’s disease to revive and revitalize their brain cells and become resilient to neuronal changes occurring because of the condition.
If the patient complies with the Keto-Mediet rules, he/she will immediately adopt a healthier lifestyle as opposed to those who don’t.
Ms.BaoChin recommends this diet to prevent and decrease the risks of Alzheimer’s disease to people from different ethnicities and cultural groups.[2]
Ketogenic Diet Improves Cognition :
For a person to perform optimally in cognitive-based tasks, the brain regions like the hippocampus (HPC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) need to have a high speed of communication with each other, which normally declines with age.
Research done by the University of Florida, the USA on a bunch of young and aged rats showed increased cognitive ability after 12 weeks in those who were fed with a keto diet.
Rats were trained to perform a cognitive dual-task which required a good memory and while simultaneously performing a bi-conditional association task, which requires HPC and PFC to function synchronously.
All rats fed with the keto diet performed excellently as opposed to those who were fed a non-keto diet. Internal changes were noted in the brain of rats fed with a keto diet, all results were pointing the keto diet to be the main reason behind the higher cognitive ability of these rats.
Although this research does not guarantee a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a keto diet is worth trying out and see if it helps a certain kind of dementia. The best a person suffering from Alzheimer’s can do is find ways to prolong his mental agility and work hard to stay updated on new ways to tackle this condition.[3]
Conclusion
I know the ketogenic diet I mentioned above won’t prevent Alzheimer’s disease but it can make the patient’s life a lot easier by slowing down the cognitive decline.
