Ketogenic diets likely to reduce damage from traumatic brain injury - study
Treatment options for those who have sustained such injuries are currently lacking, though the ketogenic diet has been used as a treatment among children with epilepsy for almost 100 years.
Ketogenic diets are high in fat from foods such as avocado. (photo credit: MAXPIXEL)
Consuming a ketogenic diet
may reduce the effects of brain damage in people who have sustained
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), a new study by researchers at Tel Aviv
University has shown.
A
ketogenic diet is one where the majority of calories consumed come from
foods high in protein and fat. The diet includes very few
carbohydrates, which would typically be broken down into glucose and
used as the brain's main source of energy.
Consuming such a diet for extended periods of time mimics a state of
fasting in the body, during which the liver will use the fat consumed
through diet as well as stored fat to produce ketone bodies for energy
and nourishment of the brain. The diet has taken off as a weight-loss
strategy in recent years, though due to the its highly restrictive
nature, it's not recommended to adopt without consulting a healthcare
professional.
The
university explained that TBI as a result of events such as impact to
the head from hard objects, accidents and sports injuries is a leading
cause of death and long-term disability for millions of people worldwide
every year. TBI can negatively impact parts of the brain that control
physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functions and increase the
risk of developing neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's
and Parkinson's diseases. Treatment options for those who have
sustained such injuries are currently lacking, though the ketogenic diet
has been used as a treatment among children with epilepsy for almost
100 years.
The
peer-reviewed study led by Professor Chaim (Chagi) Pick and PhD student
Meirav Har-Even Kerzher from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at TAU was
conducted using mice. Those fed a ketogenic diet showed improvements in
spatial and visual memory, lower levels of brain inflammation and
neuronal death, and reduced rates of cellular aging compared to mice fed
a standard diet.
The
exact mechanism by which the ketogenic diet works on the brain has yet
to be identified, though some studies have suggested that it has an
antioxidant and metabolic effect on cell mitochondria as well as
reducing the production of free radicals and increasing Adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), a compound that provides energy to cells.
Neurons in the brain (credit: PIXABAY)
Professor
Pick explained the promise that these results may hold for future
research, “The findings were unequivocal and showed that the ketogenic
diet improves spatial memory and visual memory, lowers indices of
inflammation in the brain and in addition, also slows the rate of
cellular aging. These results may open the door to further research that
will inspire hope for those suffering from traumatic brain injuries and
their family members.”
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