Energy balance
Supplementing with ketone bodies (via medium-chain triglycerides or ketogenic diets) improves cognitive performance in Alzheimer's disease patients, particularly those who are APOE4-negative.
For Alzheimer's patients, especially those not carrying the APOE4 gene, introducing ketone bodies through MCT oil or a strict ketogenic diet may improve cognitive function by providing an alternative energy source for the brain. This works by bypassing glucose metabolism defects. Consult a doctor before starting, as effects vary by genetics.
The single administration of MCT led to a significant correlation between performance on the paragraph recall task and serum BHB concentration, with those subjects presenting the highest BHB levels showing the most improvement... significant improvement in ADAS-Cog scores in subjects who were E4(-), compared with those who were E4(+)
Why this rating
Based on a single small human crossover study (n=20) and animal models; mechanism is strong but human data is limited.
Source
Ketone Bodies as a Therapeutic for Alzheimer's Disease
Samuel T. Henderson · Neurotherapeutics · 2008
DOI 10.1016/j.nurt.2008.05.004
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