Category Archives: ketogenic diet

March 12, 2013 · 8:12 AM

Potential Problems With Major Carbohydrate Restriction

Caprese salad, naturally low-carb

Caprese salad, naturally low-carb

Ketogenic Diets

First, let’s define ketogenic diets.  For most folks, that means eating under 50 grams of digestible carbohydrate daily.

Your body gets nearly all its energy either from fats, or from carbohydrates like glucose and glycogen. In people eating “normally,” 60% of their energy at rest comes from fats. In a ketogenic diet, the carbohydrate content of the diet is so low that the body has to break down even more of its fat to supply energy needed by most tissues. Fat breakdown generates ketone bodies in the bloodstream. Hence, “ketogenic diet.” Also called “very-low-carb diets,” ketogenic diets have been around for over a hundred years.

What Could Go Wrong?

Long-term effects of a very-low-carb or ketogenic diet in most people are unclear—they may have better or worse overall health—we just don’t know for sure yet. Perhaps some people gain a clear benefit, while others—with different metabolisms and genetic make-up—are worse off.

If the diet results in major weight loss that lasts, we may see longer lifespan, less type 2 diabetes, less cancer, less heart disease, less high blood pressure, and fewer of the other obesity-related medical conditions.

Ketogenic diets are generally higher in protein, total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than some other diets. Some authorities are concerned this may increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke; the latest evidence indicates otherwise.

Some authorities worry that ketogenic diets have the potential to cause kidney stones, osteoporosis (thin, brittle bones), gout, and may worsen existing kidney disease. Others disagree.

Soon after adoption of very-low-carb eating, dieters may have headaches, bad breath, easy bruising, nausea, fatigue, aching, muscle cramps, constipation, and dizziness, among other symptoms. “Induction flu” may occur around days two through five, consisting of achiness, easy fatigue, and low energy. It clears up after a few days.

Very-low-carb ketogenic diets may have the potential to cause  low blood pressure, high uric acid in the blood, excessive loss of sodium and potassium in the urine, worsening of kidney disease, deficiency of calcium and vitamins A, B, C, and D, among other adverse effects.

Athletic individuals who perform vigorous exercise should expect a deterioration in performance levels during the first three to four weeks of any ketogenic very-low-carb diet. The body needs that time to adjust to burning mostly fat for fuel rather than carbohydrate.

Competitive weight-lifters or other anaerobic athletes (e.g., sprinters) will be hampered by the low muscle glycogen stores that accompany ketogenic diets. They need more carbohydrates.

What About Adherence to the Diet?

It’s clear that for many folks, compliance with very-low-carb diets is difficult to maintain for six to 12 months.  Some can’t do it for more than a couple weeks. Potential long-term effects, therefore, haven’t come into play for most users. When used for weight loss, regain of lost weight is a problem—but regain is a major issue with all weight-loss programs. I anticipate that the majority of non-diabetics who try a ketogenic diet will stay on it for only one to six months. After that, more carbohydrates can be added to gain the potential long-term benefits of additional fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

Or not.

People with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes may be so pleased with the metabolic effects of the ketogenic diet that they’ll stay on it long-term.

The most famous ketogenic diet is Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.  I’ve put together one call the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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February 12, 2013 · 7:32 AM

Once Again, Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet Beats Low-Calorie For Overweight Diabetes

Kuwait City and Towers

Kuwait City and Towers

A low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is safe, effective, and superior to a low-calorie diet in type 2 diabetics, according to a report last year in Nutrition.

Kuwaiti researchers gave 102 adult overweight diabetic men and women their choice of diet: 78 chose ketogenic, 24 went low-calorie.  Average age was 37, average weight 211 lb (96 kg).  The study lasted six months.  The ketogenic diet was very much Atkins-style, starting out at 20 grams of carbohydrate daily.  Once good weight-loss progress was made, and if carb cravings were an issue, dieters could increase their carbs in small increments weekly.

This is all they said about the low-calorie diet: “Participants in the low-calorie diet group were given appropriate guidelines and a sample low-calorie diet menu of 2200 calories is presented in Table 1” (it’s typical and reasonable).

What Did They Find?

The low-carb ketogenic dieters lost 12% of body weight, compared to 7% lost by the low-calorie dieters.  Furthermore, the ketogenic dieters showed significant lowering of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and triglycerides.  HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) rose.  The low-calorie dieters seem to have had a significant drop in LDL cholesterol, but no changes in the other lipids.

Fasting blood sugar levels dropped significantly in both groups, but more in the ketogenic dieters.  Both groups started with fasting blood sugars around 162 mg/dl (9 mmol/l) and fell to 108 mg/dl (6 mmol/l) in the ketogenic group and to 126 mg/dl (7 mmol/l) in the low-calorie group.

Glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c) levels fell in both groups, more so in the ketogenic dieters.  The drop was statistically significant in the ketogenic group, but the authors were unclear about that in the low-calorie dieters.  It appears hemoglobin A1c fell from 7.8% to 6.3% with the ketogenic diet (the units given for glycosylated hemoglobin were stated as mg/dl).  In the low-calorie dieters, hemoglobin A1c fell from 8.2 to 7.7%.

What’s Odd About This Study?

The title of the research report indicates a study of diabetics, but only about 25% of study participants had diabetes (total subjects = 363).  (The figures I share above are for the diabetics only.)

Glycosylated hemoglobin, a test of overall diabetes control, is reported in Fig. 1 in terms of mg/dl.  That’s nearly always reported as a percentage, not mg/dl.  Misprint?

None of the participants dropped out of the study.  That’s incredible, almost unbelievable.

The low-calorie diet was poorly described.  Were 140-lb women and 250-lb men all put on the same calorie count?

Food diaries were kept, but the authors report nothing about compliance and actual food intake.

Clearly, some of these diabetics were on insulin and other diabetic drugs.  The authors note necessary reductions in drug dosages for the ketogenic group but don’t say much about the other dieters.  They imply that the drug reductions in the low-calorie group were minimal or nonexistent.

Grand Mosque of Kuwait

Grand Mosque of Kuwait

So What?

Calorie-restricted diets are effective in overweight type 2 diabetics, but ketogenic diets are even better.

The effectiveness and safety of ketogenic diets for overweight type 2 diabetics has been demonstrated in multiple other populations, so this study is not surprising.  We’ve seen these lipid improvements before, too.

The favorable lipid changes on low-carb ketogenic diets would tend to reduce future heart and vascular disease.

I know little about Kuwaiti culture and genetics.  Their contributions to the results here, as compared with other populations, is unclear to me.  Type 2 diabetes is spreading quickly through the Persian Gulf, so this research may have wide applicability there.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  Hussain, Talib, et al.  Effect of low-calorie versus low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in type 2 diabetes.  Nutrition, 2012; 28(10): 1016-21. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2012.01.016

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November 29, 2012 · 5:40 AM

Low-Carb Research Update

“What about that recent study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition…?”

As much as possible, I base my nutrition and medical recommendations on science-based research published in the medical literature.  Medical textbooks can be very helpful, but they aren’t as up-to-date as the medical journals.

In the early 2000s, a flurry of research reports demonstrated that very-low-carb eating (as in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) was safe and effective for short-term weight management and control of diabetes.  I was still concerned back then about the long-term safety of the high fat content of Atkins.  But 80 hours of literature review in 2009 allowed me to embrace low-carbohydrate eating as a logical and viable option for many of my patients.  The evidence convinced me that the high fat content (saturated or otherwise) of many low-carb diets was little to worry about over the long run.

By the way, have you noticed some of the celebrities jumping on the low-carb weight-management bandwagon lately?  Sharon Osbourne, Drew Carey, and Alec Baldwin, to name a few.

My primary nutrition interests are low-carb eating, the Mediterranean diet, and the paleo diet.  I’m careful to stay up-to-date with the pertinent scientific research.  I’d like to share with you some of the pertinent research findings of the last few years.

Low-Carb Diets

  • Low-carb diets reduce weight, reduce blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels (a healthy move), and raise HDL cholesterol (another good trend).  These improvements should help reduce your risk of heart disease.  (In the journal Obesity Reviews, 2012.)
  • Dietary fat, including saturated fat, is not a cause of vascular disease such as heart attacks and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).  (Multiple research reports.)
  • If you’re overweight and replace two sugary drinks a day with diet soda or water, you’ll lose about four pounds over the next six months.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012.)
  • United States residents obtain 40% of total calories from grains and added sugars.  Most developed countries are similar.  Dr. Stephan Guyenet notes that U.S. sugar consumption increased steadily “…from 6.3 pounds [2.9 kg] per person per year in 1822 to 107.7 pounds [50 kg] per person in 1999.  Wrap your brain around this: in 1822 we ate the amount of added sugar in one 12-ounce can of soda every five days, while today we eat that much sugar every seven hours.”
  • A very-low-carb diet improves the memory of those with age-related mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is a precursor to dementia.  (University of Cincinnati, 2012.)
  • High-carbohydrate and sugar-rich diets greatly raise the risk of mild cognitive impairment in the elderly. (Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Alzheimers’ Disease, 2012.)
  • Compared to obese low-fat dieters, low-carb dieters lose twice as much fat weight.  (University of Cincinnati, 2011.)
  • Diets low in sugar and refined starches are linked to lower risk of age-related macular degeneration in women.  Macular degeneration is a major cause of blindness.  (University of Wisconsin, 2011.)
  • A ketogenic (very-low-carb) Mediterranean diet cures metabolic syndrome (Journal of Medicinal Food, 2011.)
  • For type 2 diabetics, replacing a daily muffin (high-carb) with two ounces (60 g) of nuts (low-carb) improves blood sugar control and reduces LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). (Diabetes Care, 2011.)
  • For those afflicted with fatty liver, a low-carb diet beats a low-fat diet for management. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011.)
  • For weight loss, the American Diabetes Association has endorsed low-carb (under 130 g/day) and Mediterranean diets, for use up to two years. (Diabetes Care, 2011.)
  • High-carbohydrate eating doubles the risk of heart disease (coronary artery disease) in women.  (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2010.)
  • One criticism of low-carb diets is that they may be high in protein, which in turn may cause bone thinning (osteoporosis).  A 2010 study shows this is not a problem, at least in women.  Men were not studied.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)
  • High-carbohydrate eating increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • Obesity in U.S. children tripled from 1980 to 2000, rising to 17% of all children.  A low-carb, high-protein diet is safe and effective for obese adolescents.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)

Mediterranean Diet

The traditional Mediterranean diet is well established as a healthy way of eating despite being relatively high in carbohydrate: 50 to 60% of total calories.  It’s known to prolong life span while reducing rates of heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, and dementia.  The Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, olive oil, whole grain bread, fish, and judicious amounts of wine, while incorporating relatively little meat.  It deserves your serious consideration.  I keep abreast of the latest scientific literature on this diet.

  • Olive oil is linked to longer life span and reduced heart disease.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012.)
  • Olive oil is associated with reduced stroke risk.  (Neurology, 2012).
  • The Mediterranean diet reduces risk of sudden cardiac death in women.  (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2011.)
  • The Mediterranean diet is linked to fewer strokes visible by MRI scanning.  (Annals of Neurology, 2011.)
  • It reduces the symptoms of asthma in children.  (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011.)
  • Compared to low-fat eating, it reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 50% in middle-aged and older folks.  (Diabetes Care, 2010.)
  •  A review of all available well-designed studies on the Mediterranean diet confirms that it reduces risk of death, decreases heart disease, and reduces rates of cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and mild cognitive impairment.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • It reduces the risk of breast cancer.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • The Mediterranean diet reduces Alzheimer’s disease.   (New York residents, Archives of Neurology, 2010).
  • It slows the rate of age-related mental decline.  (Chicago residents, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • In patients already diagnosed with heart disease, the Mediterranean diet prevents future heart-related events and preserves heart function.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)

Clearly, low-carb and Mediterranean-style eating have much to recommend them.  Low-carb eating is particularly useful for weight loss and management, and control of diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome.  Long-term health effects of low-carb eating are less well established.  That’s where the Mediterranean diet shines.  That’s why I ask many of my patients to combine both approaches: low-carb and Mediterranean.  Note that several components of the Mediterranean diet are inherently low-carb: olive oil, nuts and seeds, fish, some wines, and many fruits and vegetables.  These items easily fit into a low-carb lifestyle and may yield the long-term health benefits of the Mediterranean diet.  If you’re interested, I’ve posted on the Internet a Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet that will get you started.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Disclaimer:  All matters regarding your health require supervision by a personal physician or other appropriate health professional familiar with your current health status.  Always consult your personal physician before making any dietary or exercise changes.

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August 25, 2012 · 8:28 AM

A Dietitian’s View of Ketogenic Diets

You get it?

Registered Dietitian Franziska Spritzler recently reviewed the concept of low-carb ketogenic diets.  She thinks they are a valid approach to certain clinical situations.  Among dietitians, this puts her in a small but growing minority.

I hesitate to mention this, but I will anyway.  Many, if not most, dietitians too easily just go along with the standard party line on low-carb eating: it’s rarely necessary and quite possibly unhealthy.  Going along is much easier than doing independent literature review and analysis.  I see the same mindset among physicians.

Franziska breaks the mold.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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January 25, 2012 · 6:48 AM

Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet Now in Book Form

A number of my patients and blog readers have asked for a more comprehensive presentation of the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet. The KMD, as you may be aware, is the basis for the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet.  Both of them are in Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes: The Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet.

Odd cover, huh?

The new book is geared for folks who don’t have diabetes, but want to lose weight with a very-low-carb diet.  It’s called KMD: Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet.  Readers of Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes will get nothing out of the new book: they’ve seen it all before.  Here’s the book description from Amazon.com:

Dr. Steve Parker presents the world’s first low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet. Nutrition experts for years have recommended the healthy Mediterranean diet. It’s linked to longer life span and reduced rates of heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and dementia. Dr. Parker (M.D.) has modified the Mediterranean diet to help you lose excess weight while retaining most of the healthy foods in the traditional Mediterranean diet. What’s the secret? Cut back on the fattening carbohydrates such as concentrated sugars and refined starches.

You’ll discover how to manage your weight without exercise, without hunger, without restricting calories, while eating fish, meat, chicken, vegetables, fruits, wine, olive oil, nuts, and cheese.

The book includes advice on how to avoid weight regain, instruction on exercise, a week of meal plans, special recipes, a general index, a recipe index, and scientific references. All measurements are given in both U.S. customary and metric units. This low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet is included also in Dr. Parker’s Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd edition) and Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes. Are you finally ready to lose weight while eating abundantly and without counting calories?

♦   ♦   ♦

 

KMD: Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet is available for purchase at Amazon.com (Kindle edition here, also) or Barnes and Noble (Nook version here).  The ebook version is available in multiple formats at Smashwords. 

Steve Parker, M.D.

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July 21, 2011 · 2:00 AM

Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet Cures Metabolic Syndrome

The very-low-carb Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet cures metabolic syndrome, according to investigators at the University of Córdoba in Spain. 

The metabolic syndrome is a collection of clinical factors that are linked to high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  Individual components of the syndrome include elevated blood sugar, high trigylcerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure,  and abdominal fat accumulation.

Spanish researchers put 26 people with metabolic syndrome on the Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet for twelve weeks and monitored what happened.  At baseline, average age was 41 and average body mass index was 36.6.  Investigators didn’t say how many diabetics or prediabetics were included.  No participant was taking medication.

What’s the Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet?

Calories are unlimited, but dieters are encouraged to keep carbohydrate  consumption under 30 grams day.  They eat fish, lean meat, eggs, chicken, cheese, green vegetables and salad, at least 30 ml (2 tbsp) daily of virgin olive oil,  and 200-400 ml of red wine daily ( a cup or 8 fluid ounces  equals 240 ml).  On at least four days of the week, the primary protein food is fish.  On those four days, you don’t eat meat, chicken, eggs, or cheese.  On up to three days a week, you could eat non-fish protein foods but no fish on those days. 

How’s this different from my Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet?  The major differences are that mine includes one ounce (28 g) of nuts daily, less fish overall, and you can mix fish and non-fish protein foods every day.

Regular exercisers were excluded from participation, and my sense is that exercise during the diet trial was discouraged. 

What Were the Results?

Metabolic syndrome resolved in all participants.

Three of the original 26 participants were dropped from analysis because they weren’t compliant with the diet.  Another one was lost to follow-up.  Final analysis was based on the 22 who completed the study.

Eight of the 22 participants had adverse effects.  These were considered slight and mostly appeared and  disappeared during the first week.  Effects included weakness, headache, constipation, “sickness”, diarrhea, and insomnia. 

Average weight dropped from 106 kg (233 lb) to 92 kg (202 lb).

Body mass index fell from 36.6 to 32.

Average fasting blood sugar fell from 119 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/l) to 92 mg/dl (5.1 mmol/l).

Triglycerides fell from 225 mg/dl to 110 mg/dl.

Average systolic blood pressure fell from 142 mmHg to 124.

Average diastolic blood pressure fell from 89 to 76.

So What?

A majority of people labeled with metabolic sydrome continue in metabolic sydrome for years.  That’s because they don’t do anything effective to counteract it.  These researchers show that it can be cured in 12 weeks, at least temporarily, with the Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet.

ResearchBlogging.orgVery-low-carb diets are especially good at lowering trigylcerides, lowering blood sugar, and raising HDL cholesterol.  Overweight dieters tend to lose more weight, and more quickly, than on other diets.  Very-low-carb diets, therefore, should be particularly effective as an approach to metabolic syndrome.  It’s quite possible that other very-low-carb diets, such as Atkins Induction Phase, would have performed just as well as the Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet.  In fact, most effective reduced-calorie weight-loss diets would tend to improve metabolic syndrome, even curing some cases, regardless of carb content. 

Most physicians recommend that people with metabolic syndrome either start or intensify an exercise program.  The program at hand worked without exercise.  I recommend regular exercise for postponing death and other reasons.

Will the dieters of this study still be cured of metabolic syndrome a year later?  Unlikely.  Most will go back to their old ways of eating, regaining the weight, and moving their blood sugars, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterols in the wrong direction.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Pérez-Guisado J, & Muñoz-Serrano A (2011). A Pilot Study of the Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet: An Effective Therapy for the Metabolic Syndrome. Journal of medicinal food PMID: 21612461

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July 9, 2011 · 10:42 AM

Dr. Jay Wortman Chooses Ketogenic Diet for His Type 2 Diabetes

 The Low Carb Diabetic blog posted a video of Dr. Jay Wortman discussing treatment of his own type 2 diabetes with a very-low-carb ketogenic diet.  Well worth a listen if you’re skeptical about whether it works.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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July 2, 2011 · 10:13 PM

Nutty Treatment for Diabetes

Mixed Nuts Improve Diabetes

Eating nuts improves blood sugar control and cholesterol levels in type 2 diabetics, according to a recent research report in Diabetes Care.

Canadian researchers randomized 117 type 2 diabetics to eat their usual types of food, but also to be sure to eat either

  •  mixed nuts (about 2 ounces a day)
  •  muffins (I figure one a day)
  • or  half portions of each. 

They did this daily for three months.  Compared to the muffin group, the full nut group ate quite a bit more monounsaturated fatty acids.  (I don’t have full study details because I have access only to the article abstract.)

Results

Hemoglobin A1c, a reliable measure of blood sugar control, fell by 0.21% in the mixed nut group.  That’s a move in the right direction.  LDL cholesterol, the “bad cholesterol” linked to heart and vascular disease, also dropped significantly. 

So What?

The investigators suggest that replacement of certain carbohydrates with 2 ounces of daily mixed nuts is good for people with type 2 diabetes.

I must mention that nuts are  a mandatory component of the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet  and the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet, and a recommended option on the Advanced Mediterranean Diet. 

Steve Parker, M.D.

References:  Jenkins, David J.A., et al.  Nuts as a replacement for carbohydrates in the diabetic diet.  Diabetes Care, June 29, 2011.  doi: 10.2337/dc11-0338

PS: The lead author of this study is the same David Jenkins of glycemic index fame.

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May 1, 2011 · 5:52 AM

Low-Carb Diet Better Than Low-Cal for Fatty Liver

Loss of excess weight is a mainstay of therapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.  A very-low-carb diet works better than a reduced-calorie diet, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs in 20 to 40% of the general population, with most cases occuring between the ages of 40 and 60.  It’s an accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. 

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a subset of NAFLD, perhaps 30% of those with NAFLD.  Steatohepatitis involves an inflammatory component, progressing to cirrhosis in 3 to 26% of cases. 

ResearchBlogging.orgResearchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center assigned 18 obese subjects (average BMI 35) to either a very-low-carb diet (under 20 grams a day) or a low-calorie diet  (1200 to 1500 calories a day) for two weeks.  Liver fat was measured by magnetic resonance technology.  The low-carb groups’ liver fat decreased by 55% compared to 28% in the other group.  Weight loss was about the same for both groups (4.6 vs 4 kg). 

Bottom Line

This small study needs to be replicated, ideally with a larger group of subjects studied over a longer period.  Nevertheless, it appears that a very-low-carb diet may be one of the best dietary approaches to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.  And I bet it’s more sustainable than severe calorie restriction.  The Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet, by the way, provides 20-30 grams of carb daily.

Steve Parker, M.D. 

 
Refernce:  Browning JD, Baker JA, Rogers T, Davis J, Satapati S, & Burgess SC (2011). Short-term weight loss and hepatic triglyceride reduction: evidence of a metabolic advantage with dietary carbohydrate restriction. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 93 (5), 1048-52 PMID: 21367948

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December 12, 2010 · 2:00 AM

Ketogenic Diet for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzhiemer's is "the long goodbye..."

Ketogenic diets have seen a resurgence in the last two decades as a treatment for childhood epilepsy, particularly difficult-to-control cases not responding to drug therapy.  It works, even in adults.  That’s why some brain experts are wondering if ketogenic diets might be helpful in other brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. 

I’ll save you some time and just give you the conclusion of a 2006 scientific article I read: maybe, but it’s way too soon to tell.

ResearchBlogging.orgThe article is called “Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet,” from researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institue of Neruological Disorders and Stroke.  Sounds promising doesn’t it?

The article goes into detail about how the ketogenic diet might be good for brain health.  Dr. Emily Deans would be very interested in that, but most of my readers not.  Two-and-a-half pages on non-human animal studies, too. 

What is this “ketogenic diet” for epilepsy?

The most common ketogenic diet for childhood epilepsy is the one developed by Wilder in 1921.  It was a popular treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s and 1930s.  Fats provide 80 to 90% of the calories in the diet, with sufficient protein for growth, and minimal carbohydrates.  Since carbs are in short supply, the body is forced to use fats as an energy source, which generates ketone bodies—acetoacetate, acetone, beta-hydroxybutyrate, largely from the liver.

So what?

Not much.  This article may have been written to stimulate future research, and I hope it does.  I just searched PubMed for “ketogenic diet AND Alzheimer” and came up with nothing new since 2006. 

Could the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet prevent or alleviate Alzheimer’s disease?  At this point, just flip a coin.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Gasior M, Rogawski MA, & Hartman AL (2006). Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet. Behavioural pharmacology, 17 (5-6), 431-9 PMID: 16940764

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