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Psychology Today
December 4, 2018

The Truth About Low-Protein, High-Carb Diets and Brain Aging

Should you pass on the meat and reach for the muffins instead?

Georgia Ede MD

A new study conducted at the University of Sydney and published in the journal Cell Reports is inspiring headlines around the world, like this one:

"Low-protein, high-carb diet may help ward off dementia"

In the study, scientists compared diets containing different amounts of protein and carbohydrate to a low-calorie diet. Their results suggested that diets lower in protein and higher in carbohydrate may, in some cases, provide subtle brain benefits similar to the benefits seen with calorie restriction. The researchers concluded, “A very low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet may be a feasible nutritional intervention to delay brain aging.”

In the study, scientists compared diets containing different amounts of protein and carbohydrate to a low-calorie diet. Their results suggested that diets lower in protein and higher in carbohydrate may, in some cases, provide subtle brain benefits similar to the benefits seen with calorie restriction. The researchers concluded, “A very low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet may be a feasible nutritional intervention to delay brain aging.”

This, despite a growing body of clinical evidence suggesting that low-carbohydrate diets can be helpful for people with brain problems, including neurological, psychiatric, and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. What is going on here?

If you believe in the health benefits of high-carbohydrate diets, you could take the headlines at face value and feel reassured that the study confirms your beliefs. You could point to the fact that this study represents a collaborative effort of international scientists from prestigious places like the University of Sydney, the National Institutes of Health, and Harvard University. You could even spend time skimming the 38-page paper admiring how sophisticated and impressive the science looks.

If you believe in the health benefits of low-carbohydrate diets, you could decide to dismiss this study simply because it is a mouse study, or you could spend precious time scrutinizing the results and judge them to be weak or inconclusive.

However, the best and most efficient way to evaluate this (or any) rodent nutrition study is to go straight to the methods section and look at the chow. [Caution: what you’ll discover in almost every case may shock, infuriate, confuse, or entertain you, depending on your personality structure.]

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https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...and-brain-aging