Keep Yourself in Ketosis

When talking about a Grain Brain lifestyle, and the very similar ketogenic diet, it’s frequently mentioned that we are aiming to keep our bodies in ketosis. However, if you’re new to my work, it may be that you’re not exactly sure what ketosis is, or why we should be worrying about getting our body into this state. Allow me to explain. Ketones are a special type of fat that can stimulate the pathways that enhance the growth of new neural networks in the brain. A ketogenic diet is one that is high in fats, and this diet has been a tool of researchers for years, used notably in a 2005 study on Parkinson’s patients which found an improvement in symptoms after just 28 days. The improvements were on par with those made possible via medication and brain surgery. Ketones do more than just that though. They increase glutathione, a powerful, brain-protective antioxidant, levels in the hippocampus. Ketones facilitate the production of mitochondria, one of the most important actors in the coordinated production that is the human body. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Our bodies are said to enter ketosis at the point when blood sugar and liver glycogen are no longer present, and our system resorts to using ketones for fuel. At this point, not only is our body doing the natural thing, and burning off fat, it’s also powering up our brain! We can jump start ourselves into ketosis with a brief fast, allowing our body to quickly burn through the carbs that are in our system, an...
Source: Renegade Neurologist - A Blog by David Perlmutter, MD, FACN - Category: Neurologists Authors: Tags: Nutrition Science Antioxidant calories carbs fat hippocampus Ketogenic ketogenic diet mitochondria Parkinson's protein Source Type: blogs