It was found that the popular diet improves spatial memory and visual memory, lowers inflammation indices in the brain, reduces neuronal death and slows the rate of cellular aging
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and long-term disability in the developed world. According to estimates, every year over 10 million people around the world suffer from a traumatic brain injury caused by a head injury from a hard object, a blow, an explosion, car accidents, sports injuries and more. This injury can lead to physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional damage and is also a risk factor for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Today, despite the high frequency of brain injuries, there is no proven effective treatment that can help those suffering from this injury. A new international study states that a ketogenic diet may improve brain damage caused by traumatic brain injury. The study shows that the diet improves spatial memory and visual memory, lowers inflammation indices in the brain, causes less neuronal death and slows the rate of cellular aging. The research was conducted under the leadership of Prof. Haim (Hagi) Pick, Head Adams Institute for Applied Research in Sports and doctoral student Merav Har-Evan Karzner, a clinical nutritionist and neuroscientist by training, both From the Sackler Faculty of Medicine. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports from Nature.
Increase the level of fats to feed the brain
Har-Evan Kerzner explains that a ketogenic diet, which leads to changes in the consumption of the accepted types of food, is based on high fat percentages, and aims to imitate a state of fasting. As part of the diet, foods that contain carbohydrates are significantly restricted (for example, bread, sugar, cereals, legumes, snacks, pastries, and even fruit), and at the expense of this restriction, high-fat products such as meat, fish, eggs, avocado, butter, etc. are eaten. This is a diet that can continue even for long periods of time. The diet causes an increased creation of ketone bodies in the liver, which are used to produce energy. These bodies are transported in the blood stream to the brain and nourish it optimally. This diet has been used as a treatment in Israel and around the world for almost 100 years among children with epilepsy and in recent years the ketogenic diet has become popular among those who wish to lose weight.
As part of the study, the researchers identified that the ketogenic diet greatly improves the brain function of the model animals. For this purpose, the researchers used advanced methods that included, among other things, cognitive-behavioral tests, biochemical tests and immunohistochemical cell staining (a method in biology for locating and locating proteins in a section of tissue).
The mechanism by which a ketogenic diet succeeds in improving brain damage has not yet been fully discovered, but studies show that it has an antioxidant and metabolic effect on the mitochondria (important organelles in the cell whose main function is energy production and respiration), decreases the production of free radicals and increases ATP (a key molecule in biochemical pathways in the cell) .
"The findings were unequivocal and showed that the ketogenic diet improves spatial memory and visual memory, lowers inflammation indices in the brain and also slows down the rate of cellular aging. These results may open the door to further research that will give hope to traumatic brain injury patients and their families," Prof. Pick concludes.
- It is important to note that due to the significant dietary restriction it is important to consult a professional such as a doctor or nutritionist.
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