Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - Study of Keto and Alzheimer's: Feb 2021

Can't tell if anyone reported on this previously:

Quote:

To the extent that AD is a metabolic condition, the solution is also a metabolic one: change the way the brain gets energy. Owing to the way a ketogenic diet provides an alternative fuel to the brain—transitioning from dependence on glucose to reliance on ketones—it’s a logical and scientifically sound place to start.

Is Alzheimer's a Metabolic Disease?

The results of a report released February 2021, this is especially poignant to me since the FDA just approved yet another Alzheimer's treatment which is very expensive, has side effects not dissimilar to Alzheimer's itself, and will provide false hope and wrong turns for every family suffering from the disease.

3 Experts Have Resigned From An FDA Committee Over Alzheimer's Drug Approval

It's yet another drug which dissolves Amyloid Plaques without having any effect on the symptoms or progress of the disease.

It's all the more discouraging when there is better science to be had, that will actually work. The ideas these drugs seem wedded to are another misconception: much like cholesterol's role in heart disease.

Quote:

Why Amyloid Proteins Are Neuroprotective

Additionally, amyloid proteins are neuroprotective. They have numerous functions that suggest they play a vital role in neuronal repair and regeneration. If they were contributing to the disease pathology, then we would expect a drug that reduced secretion of these proteins and formation of the plaques to have a beneficial impact on the illness.

It is noteworthy, then, that every drug developed to target these proteins and plaques has been a failure. They’ve succeeded in that they did reduce secretion of amyloid proteins and plaque formation, but these reductions led to no improvement in the condition. In fact, phase III clinical trials of one such drug were stopped early because in subjects on the drug, cognitive function was declining so much faster than in those on the placebo, and it would have been unethical to continue.

The amyloid proteins are initially protective, but it’s true that when they form into plaques, things can go awry. Think of it like a fever: a fever is initially a protective step. It’s your body’s way of raising your core temperature in order to fight off a pathogen inside you, like a virus or bacteria. But if the fever goes too high, then the fever, itself, becomes a problem. It’s a similar situation with amyloid proteins. At relatively low levels, they’re helpful. It’s only when they build up and start linking together that they form plaques and interfere with cellular communication.

Is Alzheimer's a Metabolic Disease?

My bold. Because that's the point.

It's a very long and detailed post by Amy Berger, but I find her easy to read and so informative.