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Why did Peter discontinue the ketogenic diet? And what's his dietary strategy for 2018? (AMA #1)Low-carb and mental clarity -
This is important, since our body undergoes biochemical shifts and is exposed to a variety of environmental toxins and chemicals throughout the day—any one of which could harm the brain if they were allowed entry.
Lucky for us, the BBB is a watchful sentry, maintaining our brain health throughout life. GLUT1 sits on the surface of the BBB. When brain activity increases due to increased cognitive or physical work, the activated neurons in the brain also increase their work rate because energy requirements increase.
This increases the amount of blood flow to the brain, carrying glucose along with it. Glucose binds to the transporter and is then able to cross the membrane and enter brain regions. Here, brain mitochondria break down glucose in two processes: glycolysis and the Krebs Cycle a.
a TCA cycle. ATP produced through these pathways is then used as an energy source for neurons. In addition to providing ATP, glucose also seems necessary for the brain to produce neurotransmitters including glutamate, GABA, and acetylcholine AcH —without which we could not function properly.
Turns out that the monocarboxylates lactate and pyruvate two breakdown products of glucose are able to cross the BBB and be used for energy. Falkowska This pathway may predominate during situations like moderate to vigorous exercise when we are producing more lactate and pyruvate through glycolysis.
What happens when glucose is no longer available—like during conditions of prolonged fasting or starvation? If no other route was available, the only option would be for the brain to shut down.
Luckily, our brain and body has developed adaptive mechanisms that allow utilization of other substrates besides glucose for energy. The adaptive mechanism in humans and animals is the utilization of ketone bodies in the brain.
In particular, the ketone bodies acetoacetate AcAc and beta-hydroxybutyrate BHB are energy-rich substrates. Hasselbalch This corresponds to the amount of ketones present in the blood.
The increase in brain ketones during food deprivation may be due to the fact that the BBB becomes more permeable to ketones during fasting to allow more ketones inside the brain.
Any condition where ketonemia increased blood ketones occurs also leads to increased ketone influx to the brain. The adaptive mechanism of ketone utilization by the brain ensures humans and animals can survive and function under conditions of low-energy availability.
During times of glucose shortage i. But what about fat? We know that the beta-oxidation of fatty acids is one pathway by which we burn fat to produce energy. Interestingly, unlike other body tissues, the brain does not oxidize fatty acids.
So it looks like the brain avoids producing energy through this pathway in order to protect us and our ability to think. We are left with the knowledge that the brain can use two different substrates as an energy source.
Under conditions of high-glucose availability, the brain preferentially oxidizes glucose to produce ATP and maintain function. When glucose becomes less available, it is the production and utilization of ketone bodies that dominate the brain-energy production pathways.
Ketone utilization by the brain may exert profound benefits above and beyond glucose—at least when it is adapted to do so. Of course, natural ketone production takes time. Whether through fasting or ketogenic dieting, it can take days or even weeks for the body to begin producing its own ketones.
And when you cycle in and out of keto , you may experience brain fog more frequently. It helps get me back on track and powers me through my day. Exogenous ketone supplements increases ketone levels rapidly, Stubbs providing the body with keto energy as it ramps up to natural ketone production.
With the evidence illustrating the power of ketones for the brain, this could be an excellent solution to help reduce symptoms of brain fog and bridge the gap between carb-depletion and ketone production.
One of the purported benefits of going on a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet is the improved mental clarity. Along with brain fog, some of these symptoms include physical fatigue, cramps, irritability, dizziness, food cravings, and sleep problems.
Like brain fog, most if not all of these symptoms are transient and resolve after a short adaptation period. If keto is so good, why does brain fog happen? As a result, blood glucose levels will fall. While this is one of the long-term benefits of keto, it might have some short-term consequences. Short term reductions in glucose provision to the brain can lead to brain fog and related symptoms.
We already discussed how, in someone eating a high-carbohydrate diet, energy for the brain is provided mainly by glucose. Taking away this glucose by going low-carb means the brain is left without its main source of ATP and energy. We know that stored glucose can be accessed in times when blood glucose is low to provide energy.
Lactate and pyruvate from glycogen breakdown can maintain the function of neurons under conditions of hypoglycemia. Belanger However, glycogen stores in the brain are limited, and are consumed within minutes in the absence of exogenous glucose.
One study reported that endogenous glucose production declines after one day on a carb-restricted diet and remains low for at least one week. However, levels normalized after three days. It is interesting to note that the authors of this study concluded that if adequate calories were provided in the form of protein and fat, hypoglycemia could be prevented.
This is likely a result of increased GNG and the sparing of glycogen breakdown. These results were apparent at the whole-body level, however, and cannot be said to apply to the brain, per se.
It seems reasonable to conclude that, before sufficient glycogen sparing and GNG begin to occur, the brain may experience a short-term state of energy deprivation.
This may be compounded by the fact that even though ketosis might be present, the brain may not be suited to use ketones quite yet. Luckily, this is a transient period and not a form of chronic stress your body will be put through.
In the absence of glucose, the brain can use alternate routes of energy production like ketolysis the oxidation of ketones. It has been shown that during starvation conditions, ketone bodies can provide as much as two-thirds of the total energy required by the brain. Adaptation must first occur before body tissues and the brain can take full advantage of ketones.
Progressive adaptations in the brain need to occur. The evidence for a downregulation of enzymes specific to ketosis can be seen in how we evolved to eat.
The activities of ketone body metabolizing enzymes rise during the weaning period to allow energy utilization from the high fat diet of breast milk and fall in adulthood, presumably when diet transitions to contain more carbohydrates.
For instance, in mice, eight weeks of a ketogenic diet was shown to increase enzymes related to the breakdown of ketones and enhance fatty acid oxidation capacity. Along with enzymatic changes, a high-fat diet and prolonged fasting can both increase the permeability of the BBB to ketone bodies.
Morris Changes may take some time to occur, providing evidence as to why brain fog and other symptoms may only resolve after a few days to weeks of keto.
Prolonged, high concentrations of ketone bodies may be necessary to upregulate the transporters specifically, the MCT1 transporter needed to effectively get ketone bodies past the BBB and into the brain along with other peripheral tissues. Thus, enzyme and transporter activity may be a factor limiting ketone body metabolism in the initial stages of a keto diet, before adaptation occurs.
One of the major changes that occurs when you start a low-carb, ketogenic diet is a drastic difference in the amount of water you have in your body—this is one of the main reasons that quick and perhaps drastic weight loss occurs in the initial phases of a ketogenic diet.
This happens because of two reasons. First, your body will start using its glycogen reserves for fuel.
Because glycogen is stored with water, when you lose glycogen, you also lose water, which can contribute to dehydration and rapid weight loss. Second, insulin, while normally thought of as regulating blood glucose , also regulates how much sodium our kidney retains.
When insulin is high, the kidney holds on to more sodium, and water along with it. However, insulin falls when you go low-carb, and this leads to more sodium excretion by the kidney.
Rubenstein To maintain osmotic balance, an increase in sodium excretion means that water excretion will increase as well. Along with other keto flu symptoms, brain fog is a likely outcome of dehydration, imbalanced electrolytes, or both.
Lieberman Dehydration can also cause your blood pressure to drop too low—this may also contribute to impaired cognitive performance and brain fog-like symptoms. Important to note is that most of these studies used experimental procedures like exercise and heat stress to induce dehydration, which adds a variable other than just dehydration to the mix.
Current research is lacking to support the claim that ketosis has mind-altering capabilities that may lead to improved clarity, awareness, and creativity above and beyond your baseline function.
This feeling makes sense if you think about it in terms of evolutionary advantages. Our ancestors went into ketosis when they were starving, so having the advantage of mental clarity and focus would be beneficial for finding sources of food.
Upon transitioning to keto , symptoms of brain fog clear, making people feel better than they ever have before. This could be due to the elimination of processed foods in the diet or the presence of ketones.
Improving cognitive function suggests that ketosis—whether dietary or exogenous—has the potential to reduce brain fog. While enhanced cognitive function in healthy people lacks scientific support, many studies on ketogenic diets have indicated their ability to improve cognition, mental clarity, and brain function in adults with impaired brain energy metabolism and neurological disorders.
Krikorian,Vanitallie Research consistently indicates that ketogenic diets have a strong neuroprotective effect in addition to their ability to improve social behavior and cognition. Provision of ketone esters like the BHB monoesters and ketone salts provides several benefits for the brain including improved behavior and brain plasticity Ciarlone , cognitive performance Murray , and reduced neurological impairment in diseases of metabolism.
What about healthy individuals without cognitive or neurological impairments? Again, the benefits of ketosis here are largely speculative. We have to base the purported benefits on theoretical mechanisms of action, which are actually quite sound.
A fat-fueled brain may be more energy efficient than one that relies on glucose. This might have several benefits for brain fog and mental function, including the reduction of damaging free radicals and oxidative stress in the brain.
Oxidation of ketone bodies generates fewer free radicals than does the oxidation of glucose. Ketones may allow the brain to process more of the neurotransmitter glutamate to GABA.
A proper balance of these two neurotransmitters is necessary to avoid over and under stimulation. Too much of either can result in brain fog. By increasing conversion of glutamate to GABA, ketones may improve focus. In addition, ketogenic diets might lead to a more robust brain that can produce and utilize more energy.
This is because keto has been shown to increase brain mitochondria known as mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial energy dynamics. HasanOlive The same increase was shown when the ketone body BHB was provided, suggesting this effect is due to ketones and not a different aspect of the low-carb diets.
An easy, everyday-use supplement is the use of medium-chain triglycerides MCTs. However, the elimination of many things when you go keto could also explain improved brain fog.
One might be dietary clean up. Going keto means eliminating many food groups, several of which may have been harming your health.
These might include food containing sugar, gluten for some , artificial sweeteners, and other processed ingredients. Furthermore, stable daily blood sugar could explain the improved mental clarity and rock-solid focus that come with keto.
Rather than riding the highs and lows of blood sugar spikes and crashes, keto can lead to fewer and less severe blood glucose fluctuations. When you once may have had a post-lunch brain fog, you now have steady energy and focus until the end of the day. First, figure out what may be causing brain fog—diet, sedentary time, something in your environment.
Next, look at all of the potential strategies that are known to help prevent brain fog, and experiment. Maybe a ketogenic diet is your first-line strategy.
If this is the case, be sure to eat enough fat and calories to provide your brain with all the energy it needs. Maybe exogenous ketones are the solution.
Taking something like an exogenous BHB supplement or MCT oil could be the super supplement you need to power through the fog. Other smaller changes—drinking enough water, getting adequate sodium , exercising more, getting out into the sun—can have a huge impact on your mental function.
Your health is your own responsibility, your own experiment. The low-carb, high-fat keto diet has been shown to improve body composition and increase endurance performance.
These feelings are all part of the process as your body shifts into ketosis. But you don't have to live with the symptoms of keto flu. What causes keto brain fog? Moreover, what can you do about it? You could also have an unrelated illness. Before you chalk it all up to keto, you should determine if you are actually sick with something like the flu.
These causes include illnesses and viruses, nutrition deficiencies, and systemic issues. So here are a few things that might be causing your keto flu.
Fruits and coffee shop beverages can contribute to your hydration. However, when you cut them out of your diet, you must replace them with plenty of good old-fashioned water.
People often don't realize that dehydration can cause a lot of discomfort. Dehydration contributes to constipation, bloating, brain fog, tiredness, and more.
On a similar note, whenever your body goes through physical adjustments, your electrolytes can get out of whack—this is especially true for athletes following a low-carb diet.
You might be sweating out those essential electrolytes , leaving you feeling tired and depleted. Add a few keto-friendly electrolyte drinks to your day to replenish yourself. Does keto disrupt your sleep patterns? Not usually, but as your body shifts into ketosis, you want to be especially sure you're getting enough rest.
Most people need hours per night to perform at their best. Aim for hours of sound, solid sleep per night. Protect your sleep for your best health. You can enjoy bacon, avocados, cheese—all those things that you might think are "off the menu" with a typical diet.
However, getting used to the "go ahead and eat" mentality is tough, so a common issue is that keto dieters are really hungry. Track your calories for a few days to ensure you're getting enough. Need keto ideas? While it's essential to eat enough on keto, some people give in to their cravings for carbs.
Not only does this derail your keto progress, but it means you have to start over and likely go through the keto flu again. So save yourself the stress by finding new ways to enjoy your favorites—including pasta!
No one likes restriction. The more we're told not to think about something or do something, the more our focus shifts to exactly that thing. The idea holds true for keto dieting.
The more we tell ourselves we can't have carbs or must give up dessert, the more likely we will slip up or even give up altogether. So instead, it's about finding moderate ways to enjoy what you love without taking your body out of keto.
Ajd eating patterns like the Lowering high blood pressure naturally diet continue to grow in popularity, research Yerba mate caffeine source been Low-ccarb demonstrating the benefits of a Low-cxrb, low-carb diet on brain health. Following a Ac blood sugar, high-fat diet like keto is one way to achieve ketosis. This is called nutritional ketosis. You could also take exogenous ketones or use intermittent fasting to achieve ketosis. Once depleted of glucose, your body must make several adjustments to keep all organs and systems running. Your brain is an example. The brain requires more energy to function than any other organ 1. Posted Yerba mate caffeine source Low-darb, Reviewed menal Davia Sills. Interest clraity low-carbohydrate Yerba mate caffeine source ketogenic diets continues to rise as people discover their potential to help menyal stubborn Best fat burning exercises for weight loss Yerba mate caffeine source Low-ccarb, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes—but could this same strategy help with mental health problems mentak well? Yerba mate caffeine source diets have tremendous Antioxidant-rich spices and herbs in the Low-cabr and management of psychiatric disorders. The field of nutritional psychiatry is admittedly in its infancy, and rigorous clinical trials exploring the effect of dietary changes on mental health are few and far between, but a tremendous amount of science already exists detailing how high-sugar diets jeopardize brain health, and how low-carbohydrate diets support brain health. This statement is based on my study of the science in combination with my clinical experience with patients in the real world. Low-carbohydrate diets are safe for almost everyone and can lead in many cases to significant improvements in psychiatric symptoms. In my professional opinion, their many potential benefits far outweigh their low risk of side effects.
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