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Brain function improvment in Keto
Bob314159
Posts: 1,178 Member
In social situations, I tend to focus on one person to the exclusion of other people and have a hard time picking up body language/visual cues.
My wife says that after being on a Ketogenic diet for several months, that has changed and I'm more "with it". She also says my sense of humor is better.
Is this a known side effect?
My wife says that after being on a Ketogenic diet for several months, that has changed and I'm more "with it". She also says my sense of humor is better.
Is this a known side effect?
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My husband noticed the same thing with me. He also commented that I was more with it - his words too. I noticed it in myself as well, but to have others notice it was alarming.
My guess is that I am was heading down the path towards dementia. Darn scary at only 41. Anyways, current theories are that Alzheimer's may involve insulin resistance in the brain so the brain was not getting the fuel it needed before I switched it over to ketones. Maybe.
Anyway, yes. You aren't the only one to experience that.0 -
Wow, that's fascinating ... and really cool!
I've actually had the opposite experience. I'm hoping it may have just been the initial adjustment phase but for about a month, I had a harder time thinking of words I wanted to say and in general felt a lot more forgetful and scattered. I *think* it's been a little again the last couple of weeks but I'm not positive.0 -
macchiatto wrote: »Wow, that's fascinating ... and really cool!
I've actually had the opposite experience. I'm hoping it may have just been the initial adjustment phase but for about a month, I had a harder time thinking of words I wanted to say and in general felt a lot more forgetful and scattered. I *think* it's been a little again the last couple of weeks but I'm not positive.
A ketone powered brain typically would be a more efficient, sharper brain. Anytime I've heard anyone mention the opposite, it's an electrolyte imbalance that quickly perks up with... Can you guess it? More salt!
magnesium is always a great addition as well. Getting a shot of MCT oil should help clear the fog as well. 0 -
Thanks, @Sunny_Bunny_ ! I'll try to keep increasing the salt.
I haven't bought MCT oil. Would coconut oil work as well?0 -
Keto has had a calming effect on me per the family. Of course my pain level dropping from 7-8 to 2-3 in first 30 days helped me be more human. Before I could not run wide open for 10 hours without eating. My son keeps reminding me he has to stop and eat. He will say, Remember I run on sugar. :-)0
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macchiatto wrote: »Thanks, @Sunny_Bunny_ ! I'll try to keep increasing the salt.
I haven't bought MCT oil. Would coconut oil work as well?
Yes, but MCT oil has a higher concentration of certain fatty acids from the coconut oil than CO does by itself. Apparently those particular acids are the ones that provide the greatest mental energy boost. However, I guess not all MCT oil is created equal as far as this goes. From what I've gathered, finding one that comes from coconut only and not palm oil is better and only some brands even give the concentration information on their lable.
One I have says it has 4.2g caprylic acid (this is what Dave Aspreys Brain Octane Oil is), 3.4g capric acid and 4.3g lauric acid (which is what 80-90% of coconut oil is. All of these have great benefits but some MCT oils don't contain all of them. Many have no lauric acid at all which is what makes coconut oil a great thing to have in our diets.0 -
A couple of years ago I attempted working as a barista. It was a nightmare because I couldn't remember how to make the drinks! My brain wasn't getting it and I left the position after a month of ruining people's coffee! I was a sugar burner then.
Since beginning LCHF my memory has improved drastically! I'm now able to function, and work, being the RN I worked so hard to earn! It's like everything "clicks" now!
At work the other day I began to feel sluggish. I made the statement that I needed some pickle juice. They looked at me like I was crazy, lol! When I got off my first stop was to buy a pickle (one wrapped in plastic with the juice). After drinking the juice I felt better. The sodium intake is super important, even after ten months of this wol!0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »macchiatto wrote: »Thanks, @Sunny_Bunny_ ! I'll try to keep increasing the salt.
I haven't bought MCT oil. Would coconut oil work as well?
Yes, but MCT oil has a higher concentration of certain fatty acids from the coconut oil than CO does by itself. Apparently those particular acids are the ones that provide the greatest mental energy boost. However, I guess not all MCT oil is created equal as far as this goes. From what I've gathered, finding one that comes from coconut only and not palm oil is better and only some brands even give the concentration information on their lable.
One I have says it has 4.2g caprylic acid (this is what Dave Aspreys Brain Octane Oil is), 3.4g capric acid and 4.3g lauric acid (which is what 80-90% of coconut oil is. All of these have great benefits but some MCT oils don't contain all of them. Many have no lauric acid at all which is what makes coconut oil a great thing to have in our diets.
Which brand do you use and how much daily? Do you still use CO? I have about 1T CO in my first cup of coffee in the morning but that's it.0 -
I'm only using 1Tbs of the MCT, and an equal amount of butter, but it's because I can't stay under my daily calories if my coffee takes up too much! More might be better for my purposes, but I'm still taking my ADD meds for now... So, i will play around with it more once I'm in maintenance.
The brand I have is Carrington Farms. I got it at Meijer.
I use my coconut oil in other cooking now and for my hair and skin.0 -
I'm taking about 5 tbsp of MCT coconut oil a day - I get it from Costco Canada and like the texture and taste - I drop it int salads, cook with it, or eat it straight.0
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I've mentioned this book before but I hope you all don't mind me bringing it up again. Alzheimer's Disease: What if There is a Cure? discusses the varies oils, doses and brands. The author, an md, copied the treatment plans of some clinical trials with MCT on alzheimer's because her husband's disease was too advanced to enrol. She used a fair bit of coconut oil because MCT was not as readily available then. She found lauric acid wasbeneficial too.
I haven't used MCT yet, but I eat a fair bit of coconut and coconut oil. Probably a 1/3-1/4c of coconut per day and 2-5 teaspoons of coconut oil.0 -
I cut down to half my previous dose of SSRI, with no apparent increase in symptoms, and my sleepfullness (I know that isn't a word) has improved.0
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I've mentioned this book before but I hope you all don't mind me bringing it up again. Alzheimer's Disease: What if There is a Cure? discusses the varies oils, doses and brands. The author, an md, copied the treatment plans of some clinical trials with MCT on alzheimer's because her husband's disease was too advanced to enrol. She used a fair bit of coconut oil because MCT was not as readily available then. She found lauric acid wasbeneficial too.
I haven't used MCT yet, but I eat a fair bit of coconut and coconut oil. Probably a 1/3-1/4c of coconut per day and 2-5 teaspoons of coconut oil.
I think the lauric acid is beneficial too. While I was shopping around for MCT oil, I noticed that some of them don't have any lauric acid left. Or at least it wasn't labeled. Even Daves Brain Octane is only caprylic. I didn't want to give up lauric acid, but I did want a higher concentration of the caprylic acid for ADD.
Lauric acid isn't as fast in providing the energy boost because it requires some breaking down in the liver before it goes to work, which is not required for the other fatty acids in it.
It's probably mentioned in the book you referenced, but MCT oil, because of its unique fatty acids that don't require breaking down and cannot be stored in the body as fat, can provide ketone energy even to people that don't eat a Ketogenic diet. Even in the presence of plentiful glucose, the brain will use the caprylic acid for energy. So anyone can benefit from the unique energy that it provides. This is what makes it interesting in the field of Alzheimer's research. Some areas of the brain become unable to metabolize glucose and be left literally starving for energy and the cells slowly die. These fatty acids are able to supply the much needed energy and prevent cell death.. It's kind of an amazing subject! I think I missed my calling in life. I should've been a researcher! Lol 0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
...I've mentioned this book before but I hope you all don't mind me bringing it up again. Alzheimer's Disease: What if There is a Cure? discusses the varies oils, doses and brands. The author, an md, copied the treatment plans of some clinical trials with MCT on alzheimer's because her husband's disease was too advanced to enrol. She used a fair bit of coconut oil because MCT was not as readily available then. She found lauric acid wasbeneficial too.
I haven't used MCT yet, but I eat a fair bit of coconut and coconut oil. Probably a 1/3-1/4c of coconut per day and 2-5 teaspoons of coconut oil.
It's probably mentioned in the book you referenced, but MCT oil, because of its unique fatty acids that don't require breaking down and cannot be stored in the body as fat, can provide ketone energy even to people that don't eat a Ketogenic diet. Even in the presence of plentiful glucose, the brain will use the caprylic acid for energy. So anyone can benefit from the unique energy that it provides. This is what makes it interesting in the field of Alzheimer's research. Some areas of the brain become unable to metabolize glucose and be left literally starving for energy and the cells slowly die. These fatty acids are able to supply the much needed energy and prevent cell death.. It's kind of an amazing subject! I think I missed my calling in life. I should've been a researcher! Lol
LOL That's exatly what it said. I think you did indeed miss your calling. 
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Only downside of this improved brain function is that in conversations everyone else seems so slow and dull. Others seem to take ages to respond to comments, have little imagination, humour etc. Like driving in slow moving traffic.0
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@Karlottap, I find myself craving pickle juice now! DH and one of my boys think I'm so weird. 0
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One of the reasons that I went after Keto when doing LC for a year was everyone was saying, "My mind was so clear!" It never happened for me so I stopped and went back to just LC.
The problem was I was expecting it to be like Russell Crowe's character in A Beautiful Mind where I was making connections I never saw. That never happened but I did find that when I went off the LC wagon, that while it hadn't made things clearer, it did cut down on all the other noise my brain was thinking.0 -
For some reason MCT oil just didn't get along with me but I am heavy into coconut oil. Either will provide ketones for the brain without cutting carbs is awesome for cases of Alzheimer's.0
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One of the reasons that I went after Keto when doing LC for a year was everyone was saying, "My mind was so clear!" It never happened for me so I stopped and went back to just LC.
The problem was I was expecting it to be like Russell Crowe's character in A Beautiful Mind where I was making connections I never saw. That never happened but I did find that when I went off the LC wagon, that while it hadn't made things clearer, it did cut down on all the other noise my brain was thinking.
I'm not having any "Beautiful Mind" moments, just better sleep and less anxiety. But those weren't things I was expecting, and they're a great fringe benefit.0 -
macchiatto wrote: »@Karlottap, I find myself craving pickle juice now! DH and one of my boys think I'm so weird.
I also drink pickle juice! lol A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a product while in Whole Foods called "Gut Shot." It's basically the fermented juice from either pickles or sauerkraut and it's absolutely loaded with sodium. There are 5 or 6 different flavors but the two flavors with the best numbers are the Gut Shot Classic and the Gut Shot Smoke Jalapeno. I've tried both and they are both good. And of course, since adding Gut Shot to my daily menu, I've had no cramps in my legs / feet.0
