Independent science continues to demonstrate the long-term negative health impact of a high-carbohydrate diet. It has already been linked to diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and other ills. Now, a grain- and sugar-rich conventional Western diet has been shown to promote dementia by destabilizing neural networks.
A March 2020 article in the journal PNAS, authored by Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi and others [1], compared how neural networks respond to two fuels—glucose and ketones. The authors determined that brain “aging,” the gradual loss of connectivity between different neural regions, begins much earlier than we previously thought—around age 47—and is strongly influenced by diet.
The study has profound negative implications for long-term reliance on simple sugars and raises questions about the conventional health dogma that “the brain is dependent on sugar.” [2]
Comparing ketones and glucose in neural network stabilization
The researchers used MRI extensively to measure blood flow and regional electric connectivity within the brain of each participant throughout the study. These were compared to existing databases of MRI results from all age groups as a baseline. The researchers also measured cognitive scores for each participant. Results were combined to yield a “brain age” score, with increased age expressing increased neural destabilization.
Test subjects, which included both healthy controls and type II diabetes patients, were examined in rested/fasting states, and after drinking weight-tailored doses of either a glucose or ketone-ester liquid mix. Participants followed both “standard” and ketogenic diets during the study.
The MRI results showed that when the brain uses glucose for energy, neural networks destabilize. Energy peaks quickly and then falls off.
Ketone-derived energy was more sustained (steady for 90-plus minutes, post-dose), and stimulated increased network connectivity. Ketones also increased available energy by 27 percent compared to an equivalent dose of glucose. Uptake of ketones for energy was shown to stabilize neural networks. Increased stabilization could be observed within 30 minutes from ingestion of the ketone-ester compound.
Interestingly, the brain used ketones for energy first when ketones and glucose were both available.
Results show that “brain age” can be directly influenced in real time by available fuel sources. This immediate positive effect of dietary intervention on impaired cognition has been documented elsewhere, including the work of Dr. Dale Bredesen [3,4] and Dr. Mary Newport [5,6], among others.
