The 'Brain Energy Gap' and its possible implication on the progress of PD.

[Mezmerric]

Has anyone else seen the work of Professor Stephen Cunnane on the 'brain energy gap' and its implications for PD, Alzheimers and cognitive impairment?

I've put a link to one of his talks below, but to summarise:

- Cognitive impairment and brain health in PD, Alzheimers, is due in part to an 'brain energy gap'. The brain is effectively being starved of fuel.

- Healthy brains use around 97% Glucose, and 3% Ketones.

- As we age the brain becomes increasingly unable to use glucose effectively (particularly in the case with PD and Alzheimers). This causes a deficit of energy to the brain if the amount of Ketones remain the same - a vicious circle that accelerates cognitive decline.

- This 'energy deficit' can be partially restored by taking Ketone supplements - using MCT oil that is composed of Caprylic Acid (C8) and Capric Acid (C10) and/or by the use of Ketone esters and salts.

-Supplementing with around 45 gm per day of MCT can provide around 10% of the brain's energy requirement from Ketones. (see the 31st minute of the video). So the balance becomes 90% glucose and 10% ketones.

- PET scans show that the parts of the brain which can't utilise glucose are not dead - they are still able to use Ketones.

- Cognitive tests on Alzheimer patients, supplementing for 6 months, were improved in all 5 cognitive areas (such as episodic memory, executive function, language etc). The improvement suggested a delay in progression of disease of between 1-3 years. No metrics were given on whether progress would continue or tail off with continual supplementation.

Some additional information worth noting:

- Insulin resistance (high blood sugar) is prevalent in those who have PD . This impacts the ability of the brain to utilise glucose efficiently (I'm also trying to find out whether this also impacts the uptake of ketones to the brain, if anyone knows please respond!).

- A study shows that nearly two thirds of non-diabetic people with PD may be insulin resistant, despite having normal blood sugar (and in some cases despite being lean). So if your blood sugar is fine, you may want to have a more sensitive insulin test conducted to double-check! parkinson.org/blog/science-...

-Exercise helps the body/brain to take up both glucose and ketones and helps reduce insulin resistance, so it remains likely to be a significant part of this protocol to reduce PD progression.

- As a side note - it is interesting to see that GLP-1 agonists such as Lixisenatide and Exenatide, which increase insulin and reduce blood sugar, in recent human trials are showing promising results. It would seem that the whole metabolic energy system is linked to PD.

Hope someone finds this interesting.

One further point - for anyone looking to buy MCT oil. Look for something that contains mainly Caprylic Acid (C8) which is more readily absorbed and converted to Ketones. Some supplements are sold as MCT oil but are more akin to coconut oil, which has a much lower amount of C8.

Here is the video by showing Professor Cunnane's talk:

youtube.com/watch?v=pR8bHXZ...(Not working as expected?)

[Stillstandingstill]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[Bolt_Upright]

Thanks for the well written, informative, and easy to read post. Well done!

[Trig27]

A lot of new and interesting research along the lines of how obesity affects metabolism. Our bodies can make ketones, no need to buy them and supplement...unless we never fast and never eat fiber.

Also there is interesting new research showing how vegetable oil, while being preferred on some dimensions vs saturated fat, inhibit glucose metabolism. See this, for instance:

mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/22/47....

[Mezmerric in reply to Trig27]

Thanks for the response. I understand that it is very diificult to raise the level of Ketones in the blood to a meaningful quantity without fasting for 2-3 days, or going on a highly carb-restricted diet. Both options but Ketone esters (exogenous ketones) now provide a third option.

[Trig27 in reply to Mezmerric]

maybe not fasting for 2 or 3 days at a time or eating carbs every day is the problem?