How the Keto diet ‘could protect against Alzheimer’s’ – but is it really good for you?
LOW carb diets have long been promoted as an effective weight loss tool.
If you're not eating carbs, you're not eating a stack of sugar which then gets converted into fat - and it's that which shaves pounds off your tummy.
But a new study now suggests that keto diets which are low-carb and fat-rich might also help to keep the brain healthy and young.
According to scientists from the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, USA, staying away from refined carbs and filling up on fats and protein might help stave off cognitive decline.
They've been looking at the effect a keto diet has on the neurovascular function (that includes circulation and sensory and motor functions) of mice.
In one test, published in the journal Scientific Reporters, rodents were split into two group - one which was fed keto plan and the other a normal diet.
After 16 weeks, they found that the keto mice had improved blood flow to the brain, better bacterial balance in the gut, lower body weight and better blood sugar levels.
And they also found that the keto diet had apparently boosted the clearance of something called "beta-amyloid protein" in the brain, the building blocks that stick together during Alzheimer's.
Ai-Ling Lin, the study's author, said: "Neurovascular integrity, including cerebral blood flow and blood-brain barrier function, plays a major role in cognitive ability.
"Recent science has suggested that neurovascular integrity might be regulated by the bacteria in the gut, so we set out to see whether the ketogenic diet enhanced brain vascular function and reduced neurodegeneration risk in young healthy mice.
"While diet modifications, the ketogenic diet, in particular, has demonstrated effectiveness in treating certain diseases, we chose to test healthy young mice, using diet as a potential preventative measure.
"We were delighted to see that we might indeed be able to use diet to mitigate risk for Alzheimer's disease."
While it's still unclear exactly how keto might protect the brain, Lin suggested that it might be down to the fact that a high-fat diet can inhibit a nutrient sensor known as mechanistic target something called rapamycin (mTOR) - which previous research has found to have an important impact on ageing.
Lin's research also found that you can target mTOR via calorie restriction.
TAKE A BREAK Want to lose weight fast? Diet for one month – then take a month off, doc reveals
This brain-gut connection is nothing new.
Anxiety and depression are said to contribute to certain gastro conditions like irritable bowel syndrome.
According to "the brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines".
"For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach's juices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut.
"Therefore, a person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression.
That's because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected."
In 2016, a mouse-based study found that Parkinson' disease might start in the gut.
While the points out that because the study was based on rodents (as with this latest one), it's hard to make definitive conclusions about human health, it still said that the study's findings were interesting.
Dr. Arthur Roach, Director of Research and Development at Parkinson's UK commented on this study: "This paper shows for the first time a way in which one of the key players in Parkinson's, the protein alpha-synuclein, may have its actions in the brain modified by gut bacteria.
"It is important to note however that this study has been done in mice and we would need further studies in other model systems and in humans to confirm that this connection is real … There are still many questions to answer but we hope this will trigger more research that will ultimately revolutionise treatment options for Parkinson's."
GET THE SKINNY What is the keto diet, what are the best ketogenic recipes and does its meal plan help weight loss?
With that in mind, it's not too surprising to learn that what we eat might have an effect on our brain health.
But how does that square with recent research which has said that low-carb diets can potentially increase our risk of colon cancer and poor gut health?
Well, the problem is that many people don't really understand what keto is.
While things like bread and pasta are no-gos on keto plans, they aren't actually anti-carb.
Nutritionist Sarah Flower told The Sun that while a "processed low-carb diet is not good, a real food low-carb diet is good"
"Sugar and carbs negatively affect our gut bacteria. Low-carb/keto done correctly should be full of good gut boosting foods, including fibre from the vegetables.
MORE ON DIET
"Most people think of Atkins or just a diet of meat and fat when they hear low carb or keto but it is more Mediterranean style, real food, vegetables, nuts, seeds, good healthy fats, oily fish, meat, dairy — nothing more than a real food diet cutting out grains, sugars and all processed foods."
In order to stay full and keep your gut happy, you need to be eating as much fresh veg as possible (particularly the darker green leafy stuff like kale and spinach).
No one is saying you should cut out rice, pasta, bread etc completely but it might be worth limiting the amount you eat and upping your veg intake - saving that delicious pizza for Friday night when you can really enjoy all its carby goodness.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours