Consuming fats dramatically slows aging of the brain
Compartir :
A recent study determined that changing the diet based on carbohydrates for fats, stabilizes the brain networks reducing the deterioration of the brain at an early age; even preventing Alzheimer's, in addition to eliminating body fat.
According to a study by a group of PNAS researchers, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the Unites States of America, found that the brain stabilizes on a fat-based diet and destabilizes with carbohydrates.
The data collected by scientists; they provide evidence that, "beginning around age 47, the stability of brain networks begins to degrade with age, and the most dramatic changes occur around age 60. The brain processes less glucose as we age. a distinctive clinical feature of dementia. " Foods like rice, pasta, tubers, legumes and others, known as carbohydrates, once ingested are processed by the body as glucose and used as fuel in muscles and brain.
While glucose is normally considered the brain's default fuel, ketones; which are formed from a lack of glucose from body fat, increase brain performance by 27% compared to glucose.
For more than three million years, ketones have been the fuel used by our ancestors, being that way until only about ten thousand years ago when the agricultural era began that we began to ingest carbohydrates and use glucose.
The consumption of fats, which are found in olive oil, avocados, almonds, mayonnaise, fatty meats, among others, lowers the amount of glucose and encourages the body to function with ketones.
PNAS scientists indicate that ketone bodies are used immediately by the brain regardless of need, while cells only absorb glucose through transporters as needed.
Based on tests with young adults, the results showed that even in younger adults (younger than 50), dietary ketosis increased overall brain activity and stabilized functional networks. On the other hand, ketone bodies have been shown to increase blood flow in the heart and brain.
Carbohydrate-based diets appear to have led the majority of the world's population to have insulin resistance. "Insulin resistance has been suggested to indirectly facilitate vascular dementia, as hyperglycemia increases inflammation and blocks nitric oxide, thereby reducing cerebral vasculature while increasing blood viscosity. Alzheimer's, recent results, have identified that an insulin-degrading enzyme plays a critical role in removing excess insulin and beta-amyloid protein from the brain. Ketones have been shown to reduce inflammation and regulate mitochondria in the brain".
"While more experiments will be needed to elucidate the mechanism on a microscopic scale and explore its impact on aging of the brain over longer periods of time, the almost immediate changes in network stability, clearly visible, are encouraging, as they suggest that dietary interventions can have marked neurobiological effects". Indicates the PNAS research group.
Compartir :