Ketogenic diet may protect brain from Alzheimer's in APOE4 carriers
A high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet may protect the brain from early Alzheimer’s disease changes in people genetically at risk, new research suggests, by rebalancing gut bacteria and restoring brain energy metabolism.
People who carry the APOE4 gene variant have the highest genetic risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Long before symptoms appear,
APOE4 carriers show impaired brain glucose metabolism, changes in gut microbiome composition, and higher oxidative stress or cellular “rusting.”
New research led by University of Missouri (MU) researchers has examined whether a ketogenic, or keto, diet, which shifts the body’s energy source from glucose to ketones, could improve brain metabolism and gut health in young “at-risk” APOE4 mice.
“When we eat carbs, our brains convert the glucose into fuel for our brains, but those with the APOE4 gene – particularly females – struggle to convert the glucose into brain energy, and this can lead to cognitive decline down the road,”
said MU doctoral student Kira Ivanich, the study’s lead author.
Source: newatlas
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