10 Health Benefits of Low-Carb and Ketogenic Diets

Many studies show that low-carb and ketogenic diets can lead to dramatic weight loss and improve most major risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. Also, repeatedly shown (but not always) to help with or reverse PD and other neurologicsal conditions

 

Source: 10 Health Benefits of Low-Carb an

Keto for PD: The William Curtis Story

Mike Mutzel from High-Intensity Health (author of Belly Fat Effect) talks to William Curtis about his PD journey and how a ketogenic diet changed his life. Curtis suffered from PD for over 17 years before he started exercising, fasting, and following a low-carb, ketogenic diet that remarkably improved his PD symptoms. Through trial and error, Curtis found the right balance in his diet. The William Curtis’ program for easing PD symptoms is not appropriate for everyone. For example, PD patients that have balance problems could do more harm to themselves if they followed Curtis’ diet. After 12 hours of fasting through the night, Curtis has a bulletproof coffee in the morning prepared with butter, heavy cream, coconut oil, and Stevia. This helps his PD symptoms and increases the ketone D-betahydroxybutyrate (BHB).

good results in rats
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912670/

keto vs low fat
8 weeks
both diets had good results, keto was better
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30098269/

some ways Keto help are not well understood
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5790787/

Curtis has a website
ketonesforparkinsons.com/

Could Fasting Help Control PD Symptoms?

This 2019 report in the National Library of Medicine (National Center for Biotechnology Information) looks at lifestyles and dietary habits associated with PD. A fasting mimicking diet (FMD), fasting 3 days followed by 4 days of refeeding for three 1-week cycles, which accelerated the retention of motor function and attenuated the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrathydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mice. Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), known to promote the survival of dopaminergic neurons, were increased in PD mice after FMD, suggesting the involvement of BDNF in FMD-mediated neuroprotection. The findings showed that FMD also inhibited neuroinflammation and modulated the shifts in gut microbiota composition.

Source: Neuroprotection of Fasting Mimicking Diet on MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Mice via Gut Microbiota and Metabolites – PubMed

Review of Possible Use of a Keto Diet in PD Treatment

A review focused on the role of ketogenic diets in neurodegenerative diseases (including PD) was published in the MDPI journal Nutrient in 2019. The goal of the review was to assess the effectiveness of ketogenic diets as part of therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. In PD, dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra are affected by a degeneration process leading to motor and non-motor disturbances. The available results of research projects dealing with the use of the KD and ketone bodies in neurodegenerative diseases are fairly promising. At the same time, the majority of studies reviewed were employed in vitro or by using animal models. The number of studies with human participation is rather small, and those that exist feature relatively short therapy duration periods.

Source: Role of Ketogenic Diets in Neurodegenerative Diseases (Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease)

Keto for PD, Some Evidence

…What are the benefits of Ketosis?
Achieving a state of ketosis can have many benefits from treating chronic illnesses to optimizing performance. While the benefits are well documented, the underlying mechanism of action is not entirely known. The diet seems to enhance the ability of mitochondria, the power plants of our cells, to deliver our bodies’ energy needs in a manner that reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. Through optimizing the way our body uses energy, we fortify our bodies’ ability to take on the ever-growing stressors of our modern way of living.

some results:
charliefoundation.org/keto-for-parkinsons/