We'll look at three reasons why the ketogenic diet is great for you and your brain.
Increased energy
Lack of energy is an all too familiar feeling for most of us. As many of us struggle to squeeze more time out of each day, we are constantly tired. With each such day, we gradually become more tired and sluggish - our mental performance and physical drive will be lower and lower.
But there is good news! Research has shown that those on a ketogenic (ketone) diet can develop increased mitochondrial function and decreased free radicals.
What does this mean specifically for you?
In a nutshell, the primary role of mitochondria is to process food and oxygen consumption and create energy from that.
Increased mitochondrial function equates to more energy for your cells, resulting in an overall increase in energy.
Free radicals are formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules in the body. They are highly reactive, so the danger comes from the damage they can do to our mitochondria. When this happens, cells may function less well or die.
Reducing the production of free radicals can lead to better neurological stability and performance, leading to increased energy efficiency in the body. Rather than focusing your body on eliminating free radical damage, it can focus on increasing energy.
Combining a ketogenic diet with exercise will not only help increase mitochondrial function, but it will also create new mitochondria to compensate for any increased energy requirements.
Focus and stress relief
A common symptom of poor diet is lack of mental acuity - also known as brain fog. This results in an inability to focus on a task or process information.
Typically, there are two molecules in this area: glutamate and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter (stimulates stimulation) in the body, and GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter (reduces stimulation).
Blurredness and lack of attention can be caused by too much glutamate and too little GABA. This will happen if your brain has to use glutamate and glutamic acid for fuel, which leaves few resources for processing into GABA. When the brain uses only glutamate, it will begin to process it without the ability to reduce stimulation.
Research has shown that ketones have the ability to efficiently process additional glutamate into GABA.
By giving your brain another source of energy while breaking down ketones, you can balance the production of neurotransmitters.
This balance (increased production of GABA) helps reduce excess firing of neurons in the brain, resulting in improved mental focus. The added benefit of more GABA in the brain has also been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.
Brain function
Fatty acids, which include acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6, are an important part of cognitive functioning. They also play an important role in many other things in the body, such as preventing heart disease. These omega acids are part of a group known as essential fatty acids.
This means that your body cannot produce them on its own because humans don't need the desaturase enzymes needed to produce them. They must be consumed directly through food or supplementation. This is where the ketogenic diet begins - a diet rich in essential fatty acids.
The data showed that the typical "Western diet" is insufficient for essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Not only do fatty acids make up the majority of brain tissue, they are equally important in brain function, with a direct link to learning, memory, and motor skills.
Research has shown the need to not only supplement your diet with essential fatty acids, but also maintain the proper ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6. As a general rule of thumb, you should try to target a ratio between 1: 1 and 1: 4 Omega-3s to 6s, which is great for a ketogenic diet because we consume a lot of healthy oils (such as olive oil) that help balance this ratio.
