Ketogenic Diet, Insulin Resistance, and Alzheimer’s Disease

[Plumster]

Thursday, March 7, 2019, Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai will be discussing "The Surprising Truth About the Ketogenic Diet, Insulin Resistance, and Alzheimer's Disease" in a free online summit, Mastering Diabetes, focused on reversing insulin resistance using a whole foods plant based approach. This is on day 2 of the Summit.

Here's the summit schedule:
https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/2019summit/schedule/

Registering for it:
https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

I am also attaching a PDF here, "Ketosis and the Ketogenic Diet: Debunking 7 Misleading Statements," that summarizes the research on which several of the summit speakers rely. I know this angle is contrary to some of the emphasis on our forum, and that meat is not a staple here necessarily. But my hope is that we can find the most scientifically-backed evidence for our food choices through not only evidence but counter arguments and discussion.

[mike]

I am also attaching a PDF here, "Ketosis and the Ketogenic Diet: Debunking 7 Misleading Statements," that summarizes the research on which several of the summit speakers rely. I know this angle is contrary to some of the emphasis on our forum, and that meat is not a staple here necessarily. But my hope is that we can find the most scientifically-backed evidence for our food choices through not only evidence but counter arguments and discussion.

Plumster, haven't finished reading, but hard to get past this statement:

Instead, your brain is designed to run off of glucose exclusively, and is therefore dependent on dietary carbohydrate for energy. In order to withstand a very low-carbohydrate intake, your liver manufactures ketone bodies as an emergency backup fuel for your brain when in the state of ketosis.

And now this statement - as a 20 year diabetic, this is just pure nonsense:

In reality, your blood glucose is determined primarily by how much fat you eat, and secondly by the amount of carbohydrate you eat.

They talk about Fat being the cause of Insulin Resistance, but in the discussion, it is always high fat AND HIGH Carbs...

[Julie G]

Thanks, Plumster. I also want this to be a place where we talk about the science. Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai do a masterful job of taking down a "straw man" in this article. Their ketogenic diet pyramid, for instance, looks nothing like Dr. Bredesen's. I suspect there's more agreement among many of these experts than we realize. IMHO, the diet conversation needs to be much more nuanced and focused on specific areas where they make alternate recommendations.

[MarcR]

I agree with Julie on all points but one - I think the arguments marshalled against the standard ketogenic diet are well short of "masterful". Even in a limited role as a potential focal point for discussion about the merits of the standard ketogenic diet, this document is useless without footnotes to and quotations from the papers listed at the end. As it is, there's no practical way to connect the many surprising claims made to actual research.

[Plumster]

Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai do a masterful job of taking down a "straw man" in this article.

Just a quick correction: This isn't a doc created by Dean and Ayesha Sherzai. It is one put together by the Summit people. The Sherzais' discussion on Thursday will have to be in dialogue with Bredesen's version of the ketogenic diet. Should be interesting.

[Julie G]

Just a quick correction: This isn't a doc created by Dean and Ayesha Sherzai. It is one put together by the Summit people. The Sherzais' discussion on Thursday will have to be in dialogue with Bredesen's version of the ketogenic diet. Should be interesting

Please take notes for us, Plumster, especially of Neal Barnard's talk because at least he's dispelling the necessity for heavy animal protein with a ketogenic approach. I wish there could be dialogue with Dr. Bredesen, but he's not on the agenda.

[mike]

Their ketogenic diet pyramid, for instance, looks nothing like Dr. Bredesen's.

Ironically, this looks closer to my diet, except I leave off the very top above the avocado...but yes, not much like the typical (if such exists!) keto diet followed by many here! This pyramid looks much like Dr. Bernstein's: http://www.diabetes-book.com/whats-left-to-eat/

[Plumster]

Hi all,

I've only listened to two videos so far, but I think the message is clear from both Barnard and Sherzai: a plant-based ketogenic diet is good for research studies, but we are not ready to put it into practice. Barnard says it makes him nervous and not something he'd recommend for his loved ones. Olive oil is still high in saturated fats (14%), for example. The Sherzai note that no study shows a longterm benefit of a ketogenic diet on the brain. We don't know the vascular consequences of this diet and they state that a longterm dependence on ketone bodies in your brain increases the risk of amyloid buildup. I was disappointed that there was not more about the plant-based keto, but on the other hand, the reason why is perfectly clear: There's simply not enough research on humans to argue for or against it.

This is Rhonda Patrick's reason for not eating a keto diet as well.

I'll post more info if I learn anything interesting from the other speakers today.

[Plumster]

I highly recommend Dr. Michelle McMacken's talk on diet, IR, and type 2 diabetes. It's not on AD, but it's a very enlightening talk.

Mike, she addresses the root causes of type 2 diabetes and I think her video would be of interest to you.

And now this statement - as a 20 year diabetic, this is just pure nonsense:

[mike]

Mike, she addresses the root causes of type 2 diabetes and I think her video would be of interest to you.

Thanks Plumster. Took a listen, but will have to go back when I'm not so distracted. Doesn't sound like my Diabetes journey though. I'm wondering if she differentiates between E4s and everyone else?