According to a study published in the Journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, consuming ketogenic diet- high levels of fat and low levels of carbohydrate can help prevent cognitive decline. The findings showed that the stomach and the brain are more closely connected than we once thought, and in fact the health of one can affect the other. According to the researchers, recent science has suggested that neurovascular integrity might be regulated by the bacteria in the gut, so they saw whether the ketogenic diet enhanced brain vascular function and reduced neurodegeneration risk in young healthy mice.
As per the researchers, neurovascular integrity, including cerebral blood flow and blood-brain barrier function, plays a major role in cognitive ability. For the study, the team of researchers examined the effect of diet on cognitive health on mice, which followed a ketogenic diet regimen. Two groups of nine mice, aged 12-14 weeks, were given either the ketogenic diet or a regular diet. The team found that after 16 weeks, mice on ketogenic diet had significant increase in cerebral blood flow, improved balance in the microbiome in the gut, lower blood glucose levels and body weight, and a beneficial increase in the process that clears amyloid-beta from the brain- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
According to the researchers, while diet modifications, the ketogenic diet in particular, has demonstrated effectiveness in treating certain diseases, the team chose to test healthy young mice using diet as a potential preventative measure.
Here's what your keto diet should look like:
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that involves reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing fats. The reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body tends to become efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which is responsible for supplying energy for the brain. If you are looking at losing weight, ketogenic diet makes for one of the most popular diets to follow (under strict supervision of an expert).
Here are foods to eat and avoid in a keto diet:
Foods to eat:
Include meat like red meat, bacon and chicken, fatty fish like salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel, eggs, butter and cream, unprocessed cheese, nuts and seeds, healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil, and coconut oil, avocados, low-carb veggies like green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, et al and condiments like salt, pepper and various healthy spices and herbs.
Foods to avoid:
Avoid sugary foods, grains or starches, fruits, beans or legumes, root vegetables and tubers, low-fat or diet products, sauces and unhealthy condiments, unhealthy fats like mayonnaise and vegetable oils, alcohol and sugar-free diet foods.
Make sure you follow the diet plan that is suggested by an expert.