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Those of you doing keto/LCHF for the brain benefits ...

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macchiatto
macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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what are your favorite articles/resources that explain this? (Forgive me if there's a post about this elsewhere.) That's something else I want to research as I think about what macros I want to aim for long-term. I'm not sure if there are others with MS on here but curious if ketosis might be helpful for MS and what other brain benefits it has.

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  • tinaisstillwell
    tinaisstillwell Posts: 58 Member
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    A fantastic book that explains LCHF is "The Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter. He is a neurologist and nutritionist, and, I believe, specializes in degenerative brain disorders. I highly recommend the book! He has other books as well, but I haven't read them yet.
    Another resource is dietdoctor.com. They have videos with simple explanations. Also very good.
    Hope this helps, and much luck to you!
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
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    Have you read Dr Wahls? She has MS and developed a ketogenic diet for MS.
  • dawlfin318
    dawlfin318 Posts: 227 Member
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    Macchiatto, I have similar concerns and hopes. MCT oil is supposed to be beneficial. I would find a open minded doctor (like your neuro- ask him her about the ketogenic diet, for benefits other than seizures) that you can discuss this with.

    I know that myelin consist of cholesterol- which we really need, to repair myelin. Just be prepared to be scolded, as many docs do not feel comfortable recommending something that is not mainstream.

    If you intake cholesterol, be sure you are not eating high carb. High carb plus high cholesterol is not what you want from what I have read.

    Have you heard of MSWorld? There is a ton of information there. I think you can search by topic without joining (it is all free anyway though).

    Have you searched PubMed? It has scholarly articles that you can at least get an outline of, without spending any money. Put in search terms like" MS and ketogenic diet". If the words are not understandable, use wikipedia to define the terminology. After a while you will be an expert on reading scholarly articles.

    Have you read info out there from Finney and Volek? Google them. They have not addressed the possible neurological benefits as far as I have seen so far, but if you can pose a question, they may contact an expert on this.

    Let me know what you find.

    I can tell you that my MS is pretty darn benign, no new lesions in a decade.

    I also had a rough patch last year on LCHF. Not sure if it was a coincidence, but I lost a ton of hair, stopped sleeping, and was exhausted even on days with a good nite sleep the night before. Saw my doctor and had a slew of tests- that did not detect any reason for these symptoms.

    I went off the diet after doing it for four months, gained half the weight I lost back, over the next 7 months.

    Without realizing it, I wasn't eating enough food because I was just eating when I was hungry, (which actually stopped my weight loss- I think). I knew what was safe to eat ( which foods contained almost no carbs) to maintain weight loss, and I think I was 20g carbs or less, and under 1000 calories, for months. My body was in starvation mode, and I bet I was malnourished.


    While there are plenty of people that do fantastically on this diet, this was my experience. To be fair I did not make bone broth. I supplemented salt by making bouillon broth.

    This year I am allowing a little more carbs , and keeping more variety in what I eat. I just finished week three and so far so good. After the first two weeks, I starting adding berries, full fat, no sugar added yogurt (Fage), and nutrient dense nuts. I also added colorful low carb vegetables. Think nutrient dense superfoods, that are naturally low carb.

    I am committed. I will be happy at this point if I only lose 1lb./wk.. Even if I maintain what I have lost so far, I am not going to only judge my success on the scale. I will be lifting weights, and I tend to bulk up lean muscle, almost like a guy. But, if I can fit back in clothes I wore when I was physically fit, that is success!


    Hope this helps!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Alzheimer's Disease: What if There was a Cure? by Mary Newport md was very good too. Her husband has Alzheimer's and she was fighting to get him into clinical trials that used MCTs but he was too far along so she emulated the treatment and he had a marked improvement. He wasn't cured but he improved greatly, he also stayed healthier and did not back slide. Amazing.

    This article of hers goes over some of it. http://www.coconutketones.com/whatifcure.pdf
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    Thanks so much for the replies!

    @umayster yes, I read her book a while ago, though I hadn't realized it was considered ketogenic since she includes 6-9 cups a day of fruits and vegetables depending on which version you're doing. (I read it before I looked into keto; I just know it's a form of paleo.) That is one of the reasons I considered LCHF though, b/c I realized there was overlap between recs for my PCOS and her recs for MS. I'm not sold on her no dairy, no artificial sweeteners,though. ;)

    @dawlfin318 thanks! I drive 80 miles to an MS center to see my specialist. They haven't seemed that big on dietary changes (there are so many conflicting recs for MS and last I had asked, it didn't seem like any one WOE had a ton of research support though Wahls might be pulling ahead in that regard) but I'll talk to them some more about it. I have been on MSWorld off and on for a long time but haven't checked out the nutrition stuff on there recently. I also found out about a new MS specialist who's much closer (though not a full MS center) and from what I heard from a friend, might be more interested in exploring the dietary side of things. I'm thinking about seeing him for a second opinion.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Here are a couple of papers for neurological benefits in general:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898565/
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3321471/
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    Great articles. Thanks, @Dragonwolf!
    Also, DH just reminded me that since one of our friends is a professor of neurophysiology at the local medical school, he might be a good person to ask, too. :)
  • dawlfin318
    dawlfin318 Posts: 227 Member
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    macchiatto wrote: »
    Great articles. Thanks, @Dragonwolf!
    Also, DH just reminded me that since one of our friends is a professor of neurophysiology at the local medical school, he might be a good person to ask, too. :)

    Please let me know what your friend says.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    You can learn about many ways Keto is being applied to manage different neurological conditions and studied at this site too.
    http://www.charliefoundation.org

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