A recent study suggests that adopting a low-carb diet may have the potential to prevent or even reverse the effects of aging in the brain.
Researchers also found that signs of brain aging become noticeable in a person’s late 40s. This study delves into the period before symptoms appear, where preventive measures may be most effective.
The findings reveal that functional communication between brain regions becomes less stable with age, typically occurring in the late 40s, and this instability is linked to poorer cognition, accelerating with insulin resistance.
The Impact of Diet on Brain Aging
To understand how diet influences brain aging, researchers focused on the phase when prevention could make the most significant difference.
They observed that the brain’s functional networks start to destabilize as people age, potentially due to inefficient glucose metabolism, causing neurons to starve gradually.
This phenomenon has been associated with the onset of age-related cognitive decline.
The study found that different fuel sources can affect this biomarker for brain aging. Glucose was found to decrease the stability of brain networks, while ketones increased stability.
Ketones, which are produced in the body during a low-carb diet, are a more efficient energy source for brain cells.
Early Signs of Brain Aging
The researchers used neuroimaging techniques to detect the breakdown of communication between brain regions, referred to as “network stability.”
This breakdown starts relatively early in life, with signs of brain aging emerging at age 47, and the most rapid degeneration occurring at age 60.
Even in younger adults under the age of 50, adopting a low-carb diet that induced dietary ketosis increased overall brain activity and stabilized functional networks.
The Promise of Ketones
Ketones, which provide more energy to cells than glucose, may play a pivotal role in preserving brain health. These findings align with previous research that demonstrated the benefits of ketones for the heart.
The researchers believe that the increased energy supply to the brain through ketones could help restore youthful brain function.
Lead author Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi explains, “This effect matters because brain aging, and especially dementia, are associated with ‘hypometabolism,’ in which neurons gradually lose the ability to effectively use glucose as fuel.
Therefore, if we can increase the amount of energy available to the brain by using a different fuel, the hope is that we can restore the brain to more youthful functioning.”
Implications for Aging and Brain Health
This study sheds light on the potential of dietary interventions to mitigate the effects of brain aging.
While more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and generalizability of these findings, the study offers hope for individuals looking to maintain their cognitive health as they age.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the W. M. Keck Foundation and involved collaboration between multiple institutions, including Stony Brook University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Children’s National, the National Institutes of Health, and Oxford University.
These findings may open new avenues for exploring dietary strategies to promote brain health and combat age-related cognitive decline.
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The research findings can be found in PNAS.
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