3 ms·

Alzheimer's is sometimes called "type 3 diabetes." If the body stops responding to insulin signals to pull glucose out of the serum to use for energy (insulin r

Alzheimer's is sometimes called "type 3 diabetes." If the body stops responding to insulin signals to pull glucose out of the serum to use for energy (insulin resistance), then the brain might chronically get less energy. By weight, the brain is the organ that uses the most glucose of any other organ. The brain is responsible for about 20% of your body's total glucose use, despite being only 2% of your body's weight. Intermittent fasting usually kicks you into ketosis. Ketosis is when your body runs out of glucose and it metabolizes fat in the liver to use for energy, including the brain, which starts getting 66% of its energy from fat. You're on HN so you probably already know that. It also changes the krebs cycle, and eventually it changes how your body processes ketones themselves, but the important switch is in your brain. Nutritional ketosis is a form of "fed" ketosis, where you mainly don't eat glucose, and eat more fat, and your body enters a similar state as fasting, except you don't have to be hungry. Nutritional ketosis is also distinguished from "starvation ketosis" (like from fasting) by the quantity of ketone bodies in the serum. Alzheimer's patients on a ketotic diet show improvement (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33622392/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33622392/) Could a nutritional ketosis diet be preventative against Alzheimers? I sometimes hear stories of friends who eat generally "healthy," and aren't overweight, shocked to learn they are pre-diabetic. This is the limit of my knowledge, and I know this is an incomplete picture. From my limited view, this is why I strive to be in nutritional ketosis.

keeptrying 4y ago
The "type 3 diabetes" hypothesis is a great theory but has never been proven conclusively as the reason behind AD. That paper you linked to had 26 participants.
arcticbull 4y ago
This could be tied to the infectious hypothesis of Alzheimers too - fasting for a period of time effectively 'resets' the immune system [1]. The infectious hypothesis is often associated with herpesviridae so I wonder if there's any studies that show an impact from intermittent fasting on chronic HSV. [edit] And yes this study was done both both mice and humans. [1] https://thesource.com/2018/11/21/fasting-for-72-hours-can-reset-your-entire-immune-system/ https://thesource.com/2018/11/21/fasting-for-72-hours-can-re...
pengaru 4y ago
This talk by an actual neurologist intersects much of what you're speaking to, but not through a "type 3 diabetes" lens. More of a "tumor growth and neurodegenerative diseases are caused by mitochondrial dysfunction, and fasting is our most powerful tool for straightening out misbehaving mitochondria" perspective, if memory serves. My impression is that ketogenic diet alone is insufficient for lack of aggressive autophagy/mitophagy fasting triggers. But I'm just a lowly software dev, this shit is not at all my wheelhouse. It doesn't surprise me though that our cells need regular spring cleaning, my home certainly does. Apparently we evolved to opportunistically do that internal spring cleaning in times of scarcity... Worth a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK0BkTPUGQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK0BkTPUGQY
gupe 4y ago
Anecdotally, my grandfather, who was bedridden with advanced dementia for the last years of his life, tended to be far more lucid before breakfast than at any other time of day. Knowing of the type three diabetes hypothesis, I surmised that this could be, at least partially, a result of the overnight fast, during which his metabolism likely stabilised to a degree, although it's unlikely that he'd have fully entered ketosis. I suggested that he be switched to a ketogenic diet, at least for a few weeks, as a trial, but this was considered to be a ridiculous idea by his carers, and was never done, unfortunately.
- belval 4y ago
  If it's any reassurance, it most likely had nothing to do with fasting and everything to do with the disease itself. Dementia patients will have bigger symptoms later in the day, peaking at dusk.
tarsinge 4y ago
> I sometimes hear stories of friends who eat generally "healthy," and aren't overweight, shocked to learn they are pre-diabetic. Yes sometimes it seems people are not aware that it can be organic, locally sourced, home made from whole ingredients, vegan, if it’s a pastry it’s still “unhealthy” (if it’s not occasional).
netmonk 4y ago
At least someone knows the science.

keeptrying 4y ago

The "type 3 diabetes" hypothesis is a great theory but has never been proven conclusively as the reason behind AD. That paper you linked to had 26 participants.

arcticbull 4y ago

This could be tied to the infectious hypothesis of Alzheimers too - fasting for a period of time effectively 'resets' the immune system [1]. The infectious hypothesis is often associated with herpesviridae so I wonder if there's any studies that show an impact from intermittent fasting on chronic HSV. [edit] And yes this study was done both both mice and humans. [1] https://thesource.com/2018/11/21/fasting-for-72-hours-can-reset-your-entire-immune-system/ https://thesource.com/2018/11/21/fasting-for-72-hours-can-re...

pengaru 4y ago

This talk by an actual neurologist intersects much of what you're speaking to, but not through a "type 3 diabetes" lens. More of a "tumor growth and neurodegenerative diseases are caused by mitochondrial dysfunction, and fasting is our most powerful tool for straightening out misbehaving mitochondria" perspective, if memory serves. My impression is that ketogenic diet alone is insufficient for lack of aggressive autophagy/mitophagy fasting triggers. But I'm just a lowly software dev, this shit is not at all my wheelhouse. It doesn't surprise me though that our cells need regular spring cleaning, my home certainly does. Apparently we evolved to opportunistically do that internal spring cleaning in times of scarcity... Worth a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK0BkTPUGQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK0BkTPUGQY

gupe 4y ago

Anecdotally, my grandfather, who was bedridden with advanced dementia for the last years of his life, tended to be far more lucid before breakfast than at any other time of day. Knowing of the type three diabetes hypothesis, I surmised that this could be, at least partially, a result of the overnight fast, during which his metabolism likely stabilised to a degree, although it's unlikely that he'd have fully entered ketosis. I suggested that he be switched to a ketogenic diet, at least for a few weeks, as a trial, but this was considered to be a ridiculous idea by his carers, and was never done, unfortunately.

belval 4y ago
If it's any reassurance, it most likely had nothing to do with fasting and everything to do with the disease itself. Dementia patients will have bigger symptoms later in the day, peaking at dusk.

tarsinge 4y ago

> I sometimes hear stories of friends who eat generally "healthy," and aren't overweight, shocked to learn they are pre-diabetic. Yes sometimes it seems people are not aware that it can be organic, locally sourced, home made from whole ingredients, vegan, if it’s a pastry it’s still “unhealthy” (if it’s not occasional).

netmonk 4y ago

At least someone knows the science.