In a new study, researchers found that fungi in the gut linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk can be reduced through a ketogenic diet.
They found specific fungi in the gut linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and found in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be altered in a beneficial manner by eating a modified Mediterranean diet.
The study shows that unique fungi co-living with bacteria in the gut of patients with MCI can be modulated through a Mediterranean ketogenic diet,
The research was conducted by a team at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
In the study, the team identified the organisms in the gut microbiome by sequencing the fungal rRNA ITS1 gene in 17 older adults (11 with diagnosed MCI and six with normal cognition).
These people received an intervention of a modified Mediterranean ketogenic diet or the American Heart Association Diet to determine its correlation with Alzheimer’s markers in cerebrospinal fluid and gut bacteria.
Although the researchers do not fully understand how these fungi contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, this is the first study of its kind to reveal their role in mental health.
The team hopes it will ignite thinking in the scientific community to develop a better understanding of them in relation to Alzheimer’s disease.
It also indicates that dietary habits such as eating a ketogenic diet can reduce harmful fungi in the gut which might help in reducing Alzheimer’s disease processes in the brain.
One author of the study is Hariom Yadav, an assistant professor of molecular medicine.
The study is published in the journal EBioMedicine.
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