Low Carbohydrate Diet & Alzheimer’s (2012)
This study investigated low carbohydrate diet & Alzheimer’s. In this study 23 Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment were randomly assigned either a low or high carbohydrate diet. Body composition, metabolic parameters, and memory and mood measures were obtained before and after the intervention. There was no group difference in demographics, level of memory impairment, or metabolic parameters before the intervention. At the end of the intervention period, there were significant reductions in weight, waist circumference and glucose levels for the low carbohydrate group. Furthermore, verbal memory function was significantly improved for the low carbohydrate subjects. Depressive symptoms were not affected by either diet. These findings indicate that ketosis induced by very low carbohydrate consumption, even in the short-term, can improve cognitive function in older adults with greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This study is a first in its field and the findings warrant further investigation.
Krikorian, R., Shidler, M. D., Dangelo, K., Couch, S. C., Benoit, S. C., & Clegg, D. J. (2012). Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiology of aging, 33(2), 425.e19–425.e4.25E27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.10.006