Ketones (a.k.a. ketone bodies) are energy molecules made by your liver. Once you run out of sugar, your body starts to fuel itself from stored fat. Adipose tissue is broken down into fatty acids and those are converted into ketones.

Once ketones are made, they enter the blood stream and are transported to cells throughout the body. Ketones are actually a more efficient energy sources then glucose, yielding more ATP per unit oxygen. They also have a variety of health benefits. 

Presently, we live in a civilization where glucose and carbohydrates are easily available food sources but this was not the case before our ancestors started farming grains. The oldest homo sapien remains are 300 000 years old. (1)  Humans started farming grains approximately 20 000 years ago. As a species, we have been grain-free for over 90% of our existence !

As a species, we have been grain-free for over 90% of our existence !

The diets of hunter gatherers and their diet were based on fat, bones and flesh. I think that fat is our body’s primary energy source. Did you know that you were born in ketosis?

Did you know that you were born in ketosis ?

Healthy fat certainly taxes the body less then does sugar. Today, a diet based on healthy fat seems quite exotic but thousands of years ago, it may have been the only option. A fat-based diet is called a ketogenic diet (often abbreviated to “keto”) because the primary energy unit is the ketone. 

Keto and your Brain

Since at least the 1920s, ketogenic diets have been used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy. They also alleviate other diseases of the nervous system, including headaches, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, bipolar depression, brain cancer, depression and autism. Research shows that higher ketone levels are good for you. They improve brain function, prevent neurodegeneration and reduce the severity of nervous system-related issues. (2)

Ketones are anticonvulsant and neuroprotective. The presence of ketones prevents neurons from overloading on glutamate, the chief excitatory neurotransmitter. Over-excited neurons tend to die and glutamate is responsible for neurodegeneration, seizures as well as the tissue damage which results from a stroke. Ketones also help to release GABA, the calming neurotransmitter, into the synapse. 

Personally, I find that supplementing with exogenous ketones while cultivating a high fat, low carb diet helps me to focus. I feel mentally clearer and more capable when I take ketones. 

A healthy ketogenic diet contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like DHA and EPA, which inhibit the expression of genes encoding for pro-inflammatory factors. Medium chain triglycerides are a healthy variety of saturated fats obtained from coconut and palm oil and these also have neuroprotective qualities. 

Many brain diseases share one thing in common: deficiency in energy production. The ketone beta-hydroxy-butyrate is a more efficient energy source then glucose and this helps to increase energy available to brain cells, leaving them available to ward off disease-causing stressors. 

A 6 week study of 23 elderly people showed that a ketogenic diet improved verbal and memory performance. (3)

In another study, 152 Alzheimer’s patients were given an oral ketogenic agent vs. Placebo, while maintaining a regular diet. The study found that those given the ketogenic agent showered marked cognitive improvement correlating with the level of ketones detected in their blood stream. This means that oral exogenous ketones have beneficial properties. (4)

Ketones are Antioxidants

Ketones directly inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species. At a fundamental level, metabolism is based on the transfer of electrons from one molecule to another. Reactive oxygen species are natural byproducts of our energy metabolism. Since, ketones yield more energy per unit oxygen then does glucose, less oxidation occurs in a ketone-fuelled nervous system. 

Ketones themselves act as antioxidants, working to enhance the break down of reactive oxygen specie. Furthermore, in the absence of glucose, the brain is better able to activate the powerful antioxidant glutathione. 

Ketones lower oxidative stress in the nervous system, reducing inflammation and preventing neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Mitochondria  ❤️  Ketones

The ketogenic diet also improves the performance of mitochondria. Mitochondria are the cell’s power generators. They are a very unique organelle because they possess their own DNA, which is passed down the maternal line. Our mitochondria DNA connects us to our ancient grandmothers and it seems that they were happier in ketosis. On a cellular level, ketones improve mitochondrial energy metabolism and the expression of genes coding for mitochondrial enzymes. Ketones also prevent mitochondria from releasing reactive oxygen species. (5)

Ketones are an amazing nutrient worth discovering. Research shows that ketones can prevent and alleviate symptoms of neurological conditions. In healthy populations, ketones improve cognition, focus and facilitate the peak performance. Getting into dietary ketosis can be difficult but now, there are awesome therapeutic ketone supplements available which can power your peak performance and function at your best! 

Sources:

(1) Strickland, Ashley. (2017, June 14). Oldest Homo sapiens fossils delivered. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/07/health/oldest-homo-sapiens-fossils-found/index.html

(2) National Centre for Biochemical Information. (2008). Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001/

(3) National Centre for Biochemical Information. (2010). Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. Retrieved fromhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21130529/

(4) National Centre for Biochemical Information. (2009). Study of the ketogenic agent AC-1202 in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Retrieved fromhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19664276

(5) National Centre for Biochemical Information. (2007). Ketones Inhibit Mitochondrial Production of Reactive Oxygen Species Production Following Glutamate Excitotoxicity by Increasing NADH Oxidation. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1865572/