Keto and Alzheimers....

What a great week!  The weather was gorgeous, and because it was so lovely, Steve got in several fishing days and did very well.  He caught two large salmon and a huge lingcod, my favorite fish. Everything he caught works for keto, and he really enjoys eating fish as well. We had company this weekend and shared our catch.  It was a wonderful time!  Steve's sister and family arrive today, so we plan on having much more family fun.  In the meantime, I've been thinking a lot about keeping my brain in good shape. I'm not concerned about Alzheimer's because there is no history of it in my family. Nevertheless, I don't want to take any chances, so I do everything possible to prevent it.  It surprised me when I saw that a ketogenic diet may help combat Alzheimer's disease.  Because the keto diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, the liver converts the fat into ketone bodies that can fuel the brain's neurons. People with Alzheimer's have impaired glucose metabolism, so the brain may benefit from using ketones instead of glucose for energy. Also, the ketogenic diet may reduce inflammation, which can also benefit the brain.  One study found that the keto diet delayed the onset of Alzheimer's by increasing levels of the beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) molecule.  BHB supports energy transfer from the liver to the body in humans when glucose levels are low.  Another thing I learned is that Alzheimer's directly involves the shrinking of the hippocampus in the early stages. According to my research, the hippocampus begins to shrink as people age, particularly if they do not engage in new learning. However, working to learn new things can cause the hippocampus to maintain or even grow. As with weightlifting, if you don't increase the weight, your muscles will not grow.  Therefore, working on difficult things that cause some real learning is like weightlifting for your brain.  I’m weak in math.  Consequently, I've started reviewing geometry and aim to learn higher-level mathematics. I started this week and will let you know how it goes. This endeavor should help me maintain or grow the hippocampus, which is critical for many brain functions, including memory retrieval, emotion regulation, spatial navigation, and other things. I'll sit here in my living room and work on geometry while I watch Steve come in with more fish! Yum!