A ketogenic diet has shown promise against Alzheimer’s like symptoms in rat models of the disease.
- The
number of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia is
expected to triple by 2050.
- Cognitive behavior, motor function, and blood
lipid (fats) levels can all play a role in Alzheimer’s disease
development.
- Researchers at the University of California,
Davis, found that following a ketogenic (keto) diet may significantly
decrease blood levels of tau protein in a rat model of Alzheimer’s
disease.
- The keto diet also helped decrease blood lipid
levels in the animal model.
A new study in female rat models, conducted by
researchers at the University of California, Davis, has found that following the
ketogenic — or keto diet, for short — may significantly
decrease blood levels of
The
study, recently published in the journal Aging, also found that animals in the
Alzheimer’s disease model following the keto diet also experienced a decrease
in their blood lipid (fats) levels.
Past studies have linked
Cognitive
behavior, motor function, and blood lipids
With the number of
people around the world with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia expected
to
In this study, scientists focused on finding ways to
improve cognitive behavior, motor function, and blood lipids, which can all
play a role in Alzheimer’s disease development.
“Cognitive deficits are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s
disease and decreases in motor function occur as the disease progresses,” Jennifer Rutkowsky, PhD, an associate project
scientist in the Department of Molecular Biosciences in the School of
Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, and lead author of
this study explained to Medical News Today.
“There is
also evidence that elevated levels of blood fatty acids and cholesterol are
associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” she told us.
“As the population of elderly people in the United
States expands, so will the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease,” Rutkowsky
continued. “Therefore, there is a need to identify viable strategies that can
improve cognitive behavior, motor function, and blood lipids as a way to
increase the length of healthy life in humans.”
Continuous
vs. intermittent keto diet
According to
researchers, past studies have suggested that the keto diet may help
For this study, Rutkowsky and her team focused on
examining which type of keto diet — continuous or intermittent — may have an
impact.
“For this study, a continuous ketogenic diet describes
the feeding of a ketogenic diet every day in both the morning and evening
meals,” Rutkowsky detailed. “With the intermittent ketogenic diet, the animals
were fed the control meal each morning and the ketogenic meal each evening.”
“The
continuous ketogenic diet was designed to produce a continuous elevation in
blood ketone levels while the intermittent ketogenic diet was designed to
produce increases in blood ketone levels for only part of each day,” she
continued.
“The key issue is that compliance with the continuous
ketogenic diet can be difficult whereas it is easier to comply with an approach
that induces only intermittent ketosis,” Rutkowsky told us.
Why use a
rat model of Alzheimer’s disease?
The scientists used a
These rats are bred with specific genetic mutations
associated with Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in the pathological changes
normally seen in humans with the condition.
“Mouse models have primarily been used in previous
studies investigating the influence of long-term consumption of ketogenic diets
on aging and the potential benefits of these diets in models of Alzheimer’s
disease,” Rutkowsky said.
“The
TgF344-AD rat produces changes in a wide range of Alzheimer’s disease-related
pathologies, and the goal of our study was to determine if potential benefits
of a ketogenic diet occur in a rat model as a step toward determining if there
are general changes with this diet that occur across species,” she explained.
“This is a common approach in science to confirm
findings in multiple species as this increases confidence that findings can be
extrapolated, or translated, from a rodent model to humans,” Rutkowsky added.
Decreased
cholesterol, tau protein levels
Animals in the rat model
were placed on either a continuous or intermittent keto diet or a control diet
at six months old.
Researchers found that
by 12 months old, rats on both types of keto diet did not show any improved
spatial learning memory or motor coordination compared to those in the control
group.
However, rats on both an
intermittent and continuous ketogenic diet experienced decreased cholesterol
levels. Additionally, scientists found the keto diet significantly decreased
blood levels of tau protein in female rats.
“Our study did show that a
ketogenic diet dramatically decreased blood lipid levels and significantly
decreased blood tau levels in female mice, suggesting that in individuals with
genetic susceptibility for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, changes in diet may
be beneficial in slowing or mitigating some aspects of disease
onset/progression. Further, the ketogenic diet produced changes that may
improve some aspects of health in these animals.”– Jennifer Rutkowsky, PhD
“The next step is to
determine if the ketogenic diet significantly alters markers of pathology and
cellular processes that contribute to disease progression,” Rutkowsky
continued.
“Translation of the present study to humans would
involve consumption of a ketogenic diet, or possibly a ketone supplement, prior
to the development of major disease symptoms. This would require motivated
people who would commit to a diet change for a significant portion of their
lives. Therefore, it is important to determine if the diet produces sufficient
changes to warrant long-term diet studies in humans,” she cautioned.
The keto
diet is not for everyone
MNT also spoke with Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered
dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, about this study.
Richard stressed that the keto diet, while an
effective, well-researched therapeutic diet for epilepsy and
other specific medical health conditions when being closely monitored by a
registered dietitian nutritionist and respective healthcare team, is not for
everyone.
“For most individuals, a ketogenic diet is difficult
to follow, is not sustainable long-term, and could have negative consequences,”
she explained.
“In clinical practice, I have observed individuals’
goals such as a decrease in weight or blood glucose levels be positively
affected almost immediately following a ketogenic diet — they either self-prescribed
or followed social media to implement a keto diet,” said Richard.
“However,
after a ‘honeymoon phase’ of 8-12 weeks, many individuals’ lipid profiles and
liver enzymes dramatically increased while their digestive health — bowel
movements, gastrointestinal issues — cognition, and satisfaction or pleasure
with eating were adversely affected,” she warned. “In addition, both their macro- and micronutrient needs
are commonly not consistently being met which may cause other symptoms or
exacerbate other issues.”
Richard said it is also important to remember that
brain health is not only supported by proper nutrition and a standard lipid
profile does not tell the whole story of internal health.
“It would be interesting to see if there was any correlation between those following a ketogenic diet or modified ketogenic diet for five to 10 years or more and increased risk for colon cancer or digestive impairment including integrity of the gallbladder, liver, and gut lining,” she added.
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