Live data from Hacker News

Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

news.stonybrook.edu

71–80 of 343 posts

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#71
post #61

The title is terrible, it should read ketosis/ketones may prevent, reverse age-related effects within the brain. "Low carb" as the title currently reads does not necessarily result in ketosis and your body/brain running on ketones, which appears to be the scope of this study. There is more to dietary ketosis than low carb, just as an example carnivore or paleo diets are low carb, but those will generally not result i…

I am having trouble agreeing with the statement that "...your body will convert the protein to glucose..." Could you elaborate on that logic?

gluconeogenesis

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#72

The title is terrible, it should read ketosis/ketones may prevent, reverse age-related effects within the brain. "Low carb" as the title currently reads does not necessarily result in ketosis and your body/brain running on ketones, which appears to be the scope of this study. There is more to dietary ketosis than low carb, just as an example carnivore or paleo diets are low carb, but those will generally not result i…

I have but in my case it is not caused by continued low carbon diet and should be avoided and is not so nice due all the side effects it has. Everyone who takes any form of diabetic medication should ask their physician about the consequences as it might interfere with the medication or require adjustment and can cause acidosis even if you have normal glucose levels. On the other hand, especially for type 2 diabetics, there is some indication it might be beneficial (if done properly and coordinated).

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#73

IF has really saved my life. I definitely feel like i reverse aged a few years as a result of it. I enjoy food more now, weight is in check, I look younger.. hard to beat the benefits.

As it turns out, insulin resistance, like that associated with type-2 diabetes, is also related to inflammation (apparently due to cytokines: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/inflammation-and-diabetes), which in turn is correlated with heart disease.

As I understand it (disclaimer: I'm not a doctor), the inflammation results in damage to the blood vessels, which your body repairs by using cholesterol, among other things, that are in your blood. When LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind of cholesterol) is used in this way, it calcifies over time, leading to hardening of the arteries. As someone with a high CAC score and premature calcification of my arteries, my doctors have advised me to move to a low-carb diet and combine that with statin drugs to lower my LDL cholesterol. Low carbs generally means lots of meat and lots of saturated fat, which is the opposite advice that doctors traditionally have given for patients at risk of heart disease.

Lately there have been lots of studies that show that dietary LDL cholesterol is only very loosely correlated with LDL cholesterol in your blood--primarily because the cholesterol in your blood is produced in your pancreas, not ingested/absorbed from your stomach. So I did a self experiment--go on a ketosis diet for 3 months before I started taking my statins and test to see if my LDL cholesterol changed. It didn't--it went slightly down in my case. Then I went on statins--now my LDL cholesterol is at "normal" levels.

So, basically as I understand it, low carb diets can help prevent your body damaging your arteries in the first place, such that they don't need repair. Then, the statins lower my LDL cholesterol such that when my arteries do need repair, the cholesterol that is used doesn't calcify over time. Basically I'm attempting to address my heart disease from both sides: prevent the damage in the first place, and remove calcifying LDL cholesterol from my bloodstream when arterial repair is necessary.

Note that this is all pretty cutting edge stuff, and we don't have good studies to demonstrate its effectiveness yet. If you have issues with calcification of your arteries, it is best to work with your doctor to find a program that works for you.

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#74
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you start? I can't seem to find a consistent diet plan that isn't insanely difficult to get into.

Drop all starchy carbs and replace with meat, eggs and vegetables. It’s not rocket science.

You need to add some butter, oil and heavy cream, or chances are you are not in ketosis: 80% of you calories intake should come from fat to guarantee ketosis.

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#75
post #61

The title is terrible, it should read ketosis/ketones may prevent, reverse age-related effects within the brain. "Low carb" as the title currently reads does not necessarily result in ketosis and your body/brain running on ketones, which appears to be the scope of this study. There is more to dietary ketosis than low carb, just as an example carnivore or paleo diets are low carb, but those will generally not result i…

I am having trouble agreeing with the statement that "...your body will convert the protein to glucose..." Could you elaborate on that logic?

[deleted]

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#76
post #29

The title is terrible, it should read ketosis/ketones may prevent, reverse age-related effects within the brain. "Low carb" as the title currently reads does not necessarily result in ketosis and your body/brain running on ketones, which appears to be the scope of this study. There is more to dietary ketosis than low carb, just as an example carnivore or paleo diets are low carb, but those will generally not result i…

I was about to ask if intermittent fasting would have the same effects as I get the impression that its a healthier way of getting into ketosis. (When I look, I don't see negative effects associated with IF, and I do with keto diets. The research changes a lot and the conclusions don't seem definitive, but I thought someone on here might have an educated opinion on the matter).

In my personal case I'm not really able to enter and maintain good ketosis levels without also fasting intermittently.

Intermittent fasting is key to enabling me to lower my caloric input because of the momentum of the fasting phase carried over into the eating phase, e.g. smaller stomach and more effective metabolism. I currently fast about 12 hours per day (including the sleep phase), which doesn't sound like much but with the lowered caloric input it's actually pretty good. I can go longer easily when the circumstances demand it, and after crossing 16 hours I actually stop experiencing hunger completely. I plan to extend the fasting periods in the future, if easy and convenient.

As for whether ketosis is necessary - I believe I would not be able to fast intermittently without it, or at least not comfortably, which is necessary for any lifestyle change to be sustainable.

I'm not aware of any negative effects of being in ketosis for prolonged periods of time, and quite the opposite. I don't crave sugary foods anymore, and I dislike anything with even a trace of sweetness. I was surprised to discover how good the body really is at detecting what food is good for it, once in ketosis.

My main food sources currently are avocado, egg, tahini and drinks based on almond or walnut milk. I'm also using vitamin and mineral supplements, mostly in fluid forms. I'm 42 and I wish I had known about keto as early in my life as possible, not when I was forced to explore it due to declining health. Ketosis gives you a stable level of energy through the day and allows you to fully focus on life and the tasks at hand.

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#77
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone I know who is on a carnivore diet has a high enough fat:protein ratio to stay in ketosis most of/all the time. The value of that seems to be pretty common wisdom among carnivores.

Unless one has too much lean meat. The body will convert excess protien into carbs. It's better to stick with fatty cuts only.

Lean meat will kill you if it's your only nutritional source. Look up "rabbit starvation" or "caribou starvation". Also called protein poisoning

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#78

Not sure if I believe all the hype about these wild benefits low carb/keto diets have but I will say I've felt so much better on it...I rarely feel tired anymore and have been weirdly healthy the last 2 years. My doctor was surprised with my blood tests and weight loss when she heard what I eat lol. I'd never go back to the amount of carbs I was eating.

How do you start? I can't seem to find a consistent diet plan that isn't insanely difficult to get into.

I think diet doctor makes it trivially simple, but of course, to someone who never cooks, it might still seem though. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/get-started

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#79
post #29

The title is terrible, it should read ketosis/ketones may prevent, reverse age-related effects within the brain. "Low carb" as the title currently reads does not necessarily result in ketosis and your body/brain running on ketones, which appears to be the scope of this study. There is more to dietary ketosis than low carb, just as an example carnivore or paleo diets are low carb, but those will generally not result i…

I was about to ask if intermittent fasting would have the same effects as I get the impression that its a healthier way of getting into ketosis. (When I look, I don't see negative effects associated with IF, and I do with keto diets. The research changes a lot and the conclusions don't seem definitive, but I thought someone on here might have an educated opinion on the matter).

Vigorous exercise, in particular sustained cardio, is the surest way to burn through your glycogen stores. Combined with intermittent fasting and a near-zero carb diet, it’s the fastest way to resume ketosis.

Re: Study: Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

#80

Sugar, not fat is the killer. Incredible how for decades bad research and the likes of Ancel Keys and Phil Sokolof put the health of millions at risk.

Healthy diets (low carb, moderate fat/protein/fiber) don't generate outsized profits for the agriculture and processed food industry.

The USDA food pyramid favored grains because that is what the US farming could produce in greatest quantity at the time it was developed, thanks to machine-assisted farming tasks. Grains had enormous combine harvesters that could be operated by one person and harvest the whole field within a day. Produce like tomatoes were limited by the number of Mexicans and Central Americans that could be admitted by the guest worker program and could carry filled harvest bags to the collection point, for a few weeks at the right time of year.

Now machine harvesting and factory-style farming has expanded to some fruits and vegetables, using things like hydroponic lettuce tracks, horizontal trunk-shakers, vertical limb-shakers, and flexible-fingered robot arms. Or even when hand-harvested, the human pickers can follow behind a processing rig that trims, washes, sorts, and packs right there while rolling over the field, and transports the product out via portable conveyor belt.

Cauliflower, muskmelons, lettuces, culinary herbs, cabbages, and tree nuts have all benefited from harvest mechanization. Farms can even, at minimum, use a fleet of golf-cart-like vehicles, so that human harvesters can gather the crop from a seated position, rather than, standing, stooped, or crouched, and allow the vehicle carry the weight of the produce, thus making each human harvester more productive, even when the harvest still requires hands, eyes, and blades.

The machines, of course, represent a hefty barrier to entry from the capital investment, and favor mega-agribusinesses. Farms that can't hire enough cheap transient laborers or buy the specialized machinery are priced out of the industry.

But it does bring cheaper lower-carbohydrate foods to the consumer in greater quantity.

Post reply on HN