Low-carb diet is quite beneficial for reversing the effects of ageing
| Mar 6, 2020, 11:12 IST
The ones who follow a low-carb diet can have a better brain health. According to a new study, reducing the consumption of carbohydrates can help in preventing the effects of ageing on the brain.
Publishes in the journal PNAS, the study highlights on the positive effects of simple dietary changes. This is mostly important for people who've hit their 40s since the time they start experiencing brain ageing.
Researchers used almost a thousand individuals ageing from 18 to 88 to find out how ageing can disrupt the communication between brain regions. They claim that as people start ageing, the destabilization can lead to poor cognition and faster progression of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers could delay the brain ageing by giving people new and more effective fuel sources. Mujica-Parodi said, “We think that, as people get older, their brains start to lose the ability to metabolize glucose efficiently, causing neurons to slowly starve, and brain networks to destabilize.”
Researchers also explained that the effects of low-carb diet helps in increasing the overall activity of the brain by providing it with more energy than glucose. “This effect matters because brain aging, and especially dementia, are associated with ‘hypometabolism,’ in which neurons gradually lose the ability to effectively use glucose as fuel. Therefore, if we can increase the amount of energy available to the brain by using a different fuel, the hope is that we can restore the brain to more youthful functioning," Mujica-Parodi said.
Researchers plan on continuing with the study in order to identify how natural fuel can directly affect the signaling between the neurons in your brain.
Publishes in the journal PNAS, the study highlights on the positive effects of simple dietary changes. This is mostly important for people who've hit their 40s since the time they start experiencing brain ageing.
Researchers used almost a thousand individuals ageing from 18 to 88 to find out how ageing can disrupt the communication between brain regions. They claim that as people start ageing, the destabilization can lead to poor cognition and faster progression of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers could delay the brain ageing by giving people new and more effective fuel sources. Mujica-Parodi said, “We think that, as people get older, their brains start to lose the ability to metabolize glucose efficiently, causing neurons to slowly starve, and brain networks to destabilize.”
Researchers also explained that the effects of low-carb diet helps in increasing the overall activity of the brain by providing it with more energy than glucose. “This effect matters because brain aging, and especially dementia, are associated with ‘hypometabolism,’ in which neurons gradually lose the ability to effectively use glucose as fuel. Therefore, if we can increase the amount of energy available to the brain by using a different fuel, the hope is that we can restore the brain to more youthful functioning," Mujica-Parodi said.
Researchers plan on continuing with the study in order to identify how natural fuel can directly affect the signaling between the neurons in your brain.