Alzheimer’s and dementia are on the rise. Problems with cognition generally affect people who are over 65 years of age but the decline can be developing long before it is obvious. This increase in diseases of cognition is partially due to the wonderful fact that we are living longer. But additionally, it may be rising because we are not managing our blood sugar well as a nation. Dementia has been called Type 3 Diabetes because it seems to be exacerbated by poor blood sugar management, surging insulin levels, and insulin-resistant cells. Since insulin helps to shuttle glucose from the blood into cells, with insulin resistance, cells end up starving for sugar even though there is plenty of it in the blood.
Proper glucose metabolism is key for brain health.
The body is not built for sustained periods of high blood sugar. Damage to peripheral organs and nerves is well known in uncontrolled diabetics. But what many people don’t realize is that with insulin resistance, blood sugar can be high while simultaneously starving the brain cells of the needed energy of glucose. This is in fact what happens with many Alzheimer’s patients. They are no longer able to properly absorb glucose into their brain cells and essentially start to starve. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26766547/
Glucose and ketones are the brain’s preferred fuels.
Fortunately, glucose is not the only energy that a brain can utilize well. Ketones are also a preferred fuel. And ketones can be made by the body through fasting but also can be found in abundance in coconut and MCT oil. This fact helped Dr. Mary T. Newport, a neonatologist, to make the connection and experiment, (n=1) with her own husband who had early-onset Alzheimers. What she discovered was nothing short of a miracle! You can watch her Ted Talk here.
Her husband was too far progressed to qualify for a study using a nutritional supplement of ketones to fuel the brain. Since this is a widely available nutritional supplement, she decided there was nothing to lose, and started supplementing her husband with MCT oils. Her experience with using MCT oil in infants in neonatology helped her make the connection to the brain fueling benefits.
Ketones can feed a starving brain that can’t properly utilize glucose.
With her experiment of one, a single dose of MCT improved the cognition of her husband and continued with long-term benefits. Dr. Newport has since written a book detailing their journey in order to spread the information to the public. Essentially, she started his supplementation with 7 tsp of coconut oil at breakfast and gradually moved up to 3 servings a day. Coconut/MCT oil mixture has some advantages over straight MCT oil. Coconut ketones last longer but MCT has a higher percentage of them. Her husband had drastic improvements. In two months his MMSE (Mini-Mental Status Exam) test results moved from 12/30 to 20/30. This is unheard of in dementia. Generally, the best patients can hope for is to stop the decline, even with the leading dementia pharmaceuticals. But to actually improve, is amazing!
Fasting, and keto diets are natural ways to increase ketones.
Various protocols are catching on that emphasize this connection to brain health. For example, Dr. Dale Bredeson has a program that encourages a plant-rich keto-based diet with at least 12 hours of daily fasting, 3 of which happen before going to sleep. Foods to avoid are the obvious ones. No processed foods, high sugar, or dairy products. For a complete overview of recommended food groups see this link. Generally, sticking to a whole food diet is going to be a good choice for health in general. But, if brain health is important, an aggressive reduction of sugary and highly refined simple carbohydrates will go a long way.
Ketones can also benefit those with mild cognitive decline.
Other studies have shown similar findings. In fact, this study illustrated the potential benefit of intermittent fasting on menopausal women cognitive decline. The reason is the same. By implementing a regular fast, the body depletes sugar supplies, takes a break from insulin spikes, and learns to utilize ketones that are naturally occurring in the body during a fast. The body has a remarkable ability to store excess calories for a possible food shortage in the future. The problem in America is that most of us have never experienced that food shortage. The “feast then fast” cycle of life that was common before supermarkets, refrigerators, fast food, and convenience stores has gotten stuck in the “feast” cycle. It’s up to us to proactively continue that natural cycle, by ensuring a period of fasting.
Treating dementia and preventing it may have many causes. A keto diet supplemented with ketones may not be the magic solution for everyone. Neurotoxins, heavy metal exposure, underlying inflammation are all factors that can complicate to the issue. These probably require labwork and medical expertise to pinpoint the exact causes. But what is in our control, that all of us can start to do now, is actually quite simple.
5 Simple Steps to Increase Cognitive Health
- Eat whole, unprocessed foods as often as possible. At least 80% of the time. Foods with fiber and nutrients will cause gradual increases in blood sugar as opposed to abrupt spikes.
2. Get regular exercise. This will increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar.
3. Get restorative sleep. This will lower cortisol and help with insulin sensitivity.
4. Socialize with people you love. Also, a great way to lower cortisol.
5. Fast every day for at least 12 hours. This helps to deplete some of the excess blood sugar stored in muscles and make space for more glucose to be shuttled out of the blood.
All of these things will help to keep your blood sugar low, your insulin sensitivity high, and increase your naturally occurring ketones. Ultimately this will lead to better cognitive health.
