Ketosis and Alzheimer's: A Metabolic Neuroscience Journey With Dr. Stephen Cunnane

[@darlafitzpatrick8770]

My dad, who was not overweight, didn't have Alzheimer's but he was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in his 70s. He was given Metformin and he thought he was doing fine. However, in 2016, at age 85, he had some serious falls resulting from numbness in one leg. His neurologist informed him that his T2DM was poorly controlled. Dad knew I had recently changed my diet (at that time we called it "LCHF" rather than "keto") and he asked for my help. Dr. Cunnane is so right about older folks not being motivated to change their diet -- but here I was, being asked for advice, so I taught him how to cut carbohydrates and what to eat instead. (Dad: "Can I eat butter?" Me: "You can eat a whole stick of it, if you want.") He did amazingly well for about a year -- until his next annual checkup with is G.P. Recently I found notes from that doctor's visit in 2017. His A1C was 6.0, so they actually advised him to STOP the low-carb diet because his diabetes was "so very well controlled." WTF?! He was still very much in the prediabetic range, even after a year of improvement! Nobody will be surprised to know that, because his doctor said so, he resumed eating rice, ice cream, and his neighbor's homemade break, and his favorite frozen waffles with syrup every morning. And no one will be surprised to hear that his neuropathy and fainting spells resumed. I encouraged him to cut those things out of his diet again, but people in that generation truly believe their doctor knows best. He died recently at age 92 after several hospitalizations and his ultimate death from heart failure. I respected his wishes and let him live his final few years the way he wanted to, but it could have been so much less unpleasant for him. Conventional doctors need to pull their heads out of their a$$es about the benefits of reducing carbohydrates. Research like Dr. Cunnane's should be earth-shattering, but because there's no money to be made from it, it'll continue being ignored.

[@chadfitch3293]

Oh I’m so sorry I feel your pain I’m having issues with my father and his Dr as well.

[@kenadams5504]

Only Lawsuits will change the culture you have described. I'm sorry your Father was mis-advised by a Doctor he trusted .

[@andrewdawson5281]

I respectfully disagree. It's the doctors fearing litigation that stops them from moving away from the standard of care guidelines.@@kenadams5504

[@satxsatxsatx]

Is capitalism Follow the money The toxic food environment has been rigged by big food and by big ag, which is producing 75% of Americans being overweight obese diabetic, for-profit Doctors are trained in a very narrow groove to recognize symptoms and always then provide drugs, as rigged by big pharma Eating for metabolic health such as with a ketogenic diet, where is the corporate, industrial profit?

[@satxsatxsatx]

​@@kenadams5504 Sue? Whom? For what violations?

[@awesometulips9427]

This is mind blowing research 😅 thank you for making it available. Priceless information. My 88 year old mom has been on 3 tablespoons of MCT oil everyday, clean moderately low carb keto with 14 hours of daily fasting. She recovered so much cognitive function...this interview just made my day!

[@metabolicmind]

Wow, that's amazing to hear! Thank you for sharing your mom's story.

[@JanetFisher-mg5jb]

Dr Scerr. Watching this today and feel like I am a study of 1. Having lost 3 siblings and my mother in past 6 years from dementia, you can imagine my strong desire to not be a family stat. I am almost 80 now. After studying so much KZbin with yourself and other physicians, I lost almost 50 lbs in 3 years on Keto protocol, swim a minimum of 4 hours weekly and start my day everyday with a good tablespoon of MCT C8 that is the best to reach the brain, in my coffee. Things are going well so far and In fact I have put my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis into remission. Brought CRP down to under 5. Ranges normally 8 to 12. Am a firm believer in keto, MCT 8 and exercise. I think thus far, I am outrunning my family history that is so frightening as you can imagine. Sorry to ramble but wanted to share my experience with the subject of this discussion. Janet Viewer from Canada

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you for sharing your story, Janet. It's so great to hear that keto and MCT oil has been helpful for you!

[@Ohnoyoureinacar]

So proud of you, angel. I am sure your mom and siblings are watching your journey with delight and many congrats ❤️

[@theantiqueactionfigure]

The real good study will be of us who have been on a ketogenic for years before passing middle age. I lost my mom and my mother-in-law to Alzheimer's so it's an issue for me. My sister was a total boss over my mom's care. She stepped in on my mom's diet as much as she could, being on the keto diet herself. It made an obvious, my mom did much much better than my mother in law. She died in that home a couple months after the lockdown. My mom was a total fast food junkie. My mother in law went extremely low fat during the 80 misinformation and beyond. They had her on statins too. Our standard American diet is killing us in more ways than one.

[@toneyniko99]

"... what risk does that person take for prescribing that treatment..." I don't know, but I can tell you what it looks like going to war with doctors for 12+ years as a caregiver who has used the ketogenic diet with his mother since nearly the begining of her Alzheimer's "diagnosis". A rhino's hide isn't even as thick as my skin is now. I divorced 2 complete medical teams before I final pieced together one that would somewhat listen to me. More importantly, they were the few mainstream doctors within a major metro area that would even work with anyone trying to do this. To be brutally honest, it's standard of care and hubris that are the two most dangerous things inside the walls of our medical-industrial complex (allusion intentended).

[@dianelakata1308]

This 78 year old woman is doing great on a ketogenic way of eating!!! Family history of Alzheimer’s disease so I am very motivated.

[@24bellers20]

I’ve had hypertension, ibs and depression since I was 16. I’m 66 now and have been in ketosis for a year. I keep between 3 and 5 millimolars. All issues have gone.. no meds now for anything and feel fully alive. It seems to work for me. My A1c was 36( UK) when I started. Now it’s below 28 and falling. The drug companies will hate this.

[@suzanneoleson7580]

I have several generations on my mother's side that have passed away with Alzheimer's. All the kids in my family are currently on keto to help prevent passing this on to us.

[@susangrewing8446]

The reason to not let go of SAD. Carbs/sugar is addictive. You ever tried to get an addict to change? I've been keto over 2 years. Always learning

[@jassmann1000]

I,m 77 years old and started using mct 8-10 . Five years ago. I noticed the clarity in my brain change within half an hour. After that i searched the internet and started the ketogenic diet . I lost 25 kilos but after that none more. I,m still 10 kilograms to heavy. I feel so much healther i have been in 20 years!!. For me i stay in ketosis to feel my upper best. I start the week with on Monday eating only lunch and on Tuesday eating only dinner. The rest of the week i eat 18/6 or 20/4. I feel the difference in thinking, when I slip out of keto. I know I can stay clearer in my head by keeping my carbs low!

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you for sharing your story of success!

[@caspianlake8475]

Can you explain more about mct 8-10 please?

[@petermay6496]

​@@caspianlake8475 you can look it up on the google.

[@dsakurai]

@@caspianlake8475 It's probably a mix of Carbon 8, and Carbon 10, in the medium-chain fatty acids class, which is C6-C12. The common ones are C8-C10 mix, and there's also only C8 ones. Coconut oil contains C6-C12 in different concentrations.

[@dragabistreit]

When I see someone like brillant Professor Cunnane talking about Ancel Keys and what has been done in relation to fat, I still have hope for a change in paradigms.

[@CashMoneyMoore]

Cunnane's work is so important. Can someone get this man the $5,000,000 required to do an MCT study with 300+ in each arm!?

[@jimrutherford2773]

The big wealthy donars are unfortunately on the side of the plant based vegan agenda and will not support any study on diets where animal products are involved. Establishment medicine will fight tooth and nail to suppress any results coming out in keto or carnivore studies, to the point they will lie.

[@bernadettebecher4689]

Great podcast. Most people are not active in seeking out health solutions that come from nature- sunshine, real food, excercise and good sleep.

[@marzymarrz5172]

My Mom was a big fan of a low fat diet. I'd say she ate that way for 20-30 years, and later in her life she died of the consequences of dementia. This video is important information, I think.

[@93Tillinfini]

So glad I found your channel and these videos. My father is 59, will be 60 December 11th. He was diagnosed yesterday with early onset Alzheimer’s. He quit his job today and is building his house this summer. I am going to get him on a strict keto diet and supplement MCT oil multiple times a day. Also with seal oil, multivitamin’s and vitamin D, combined with regular exercise on a recumbent bicycle.

[@annacourville4622]

Epilepsy, thank you for talking about that. It has absolutely helped me! Thank you Bret for talking about therapeutic ketosis. It is not an option it is a therapy!

[@az10sbum1]

In medicine it takes a lot of evidence to change the way things are done even if there is no evidence to support the way things are currently done.

[@caspianlake8475]

Touche

[@lynlawley8903]

That's true and even if they know its true the ,job payer rules the roost

[@linnamulkey8812]

My mother is now full time now with me....was bad bad into de.etia etc...I am ketovore and she has changed diet...omgoodness has improved markedly

[@metabolicmind]

Please note, Dr. Cunnane is a professor at the University of Sherbrooke, not Ohio State. We apologize for the error in the video

[@happynjoyousnfree]

At 30:00 re medical treatment and profit. I believe that no human service should be able to earn a profit. Non-profit or government services all the say--preferably non-profit services that have to meet certain standards. I work as a therapist for a non-profit and I really believe this is the best model. No one should be able to profit from sick people, mentally or physically.

[@richardracine9055]

come on. get a grip.

[@alannahri1385]

Hello Dr. Bret Scher glad c u back and concentrating on keto/carnivore. We need more people like you, Dr. Shawn Baker, Dr. Kay,,,,and few more to study this topic more and educate more common people. As a country we r getting destroyed. It is easy just walk on street in the morning and c how many fat people u c. I have been doing keto/carnivore for last 5 yrs. Lost a lot of weight, no CPAP machine. Work almost 12 hrs a day at age of 64, knee pain gone,,,,,. Hardly eat any vegetables, i eat, meat, fat, zero carb cheese, eggs. Please continue with ur good work. Thank you x 100

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you!

[@ScienceAppliedForGood]

Thanks for having Prof. Stephen Cunnane. His scientific work is very influential. I've read a number of his studies and studies where he collaborated on and found them enlightening.

[@GraceKanedesign]

I find EVOO 3 tablespoons daily has boosted my feelings of mental & physical vitality. I've used MCT oil in the past with less visceral effects. Thanks for your curiosity passion & activity in this arena. My father died at 94 after 10 years of oxygen depletion caused memory loss. Mother passed at 103 with no dementia at all.

[@annehogg7258]

such an interesting interview - thank you!

[@peterbeyer5755]

At the Victoria market, in Melbourne Australia beef fat is $5 a kilo, I use it to make tallow to increase my fat intake, tallow with minced beef, eggs and salt are very reasonable priced keto meals.

[@marilynpeoples5099]

I’m new to this channel. But the information and interviews have given me valuable information.

[@sdjohnston67]

This is so important. Thank you.

[@aprilek6003]

Excellent information and interview as always. Love Dr. Cunnane's work. Looking forward to hearing about his results with adding exercise. Also, love that he is looking below the neck. Thank you thank you thank you

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you for the kind words! We're happy to hear that you enjoyed the interview.

[@fusedchromosome9350]

Enjoyed the hell out of this one.

[@lilytea3]

0:29: 🧠 Dr. Stephen Cunnane discusses metabolic therapies and ketogenic therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease. 4:35: 🧠 The speaker discusses the importance of ketones in early brain development and their potential benefits for childhood epilepsy and healthy brain aging. 9:39: 🧠 PET imaging can help preserve brain function in Alzheimer's disease. 13:38: 🧠 The speaker discusses the importance of cholesterol and saturated fats in brain lipids and how energy utilization is relevant to diseases like Alzheimer's. 18:33: 📈 The magnitude of improvement seen in people on MCT supplements for six months was borderline clinically relevant, with statistically important changes in language and a moderate effect size. 23:41: 🤔 There is a cultural resistance in the medical establishment towards alternative approaches to mental health and neurodegenerative diseases. 27:37: 🔍 The speaker discusses the challenges and benefits of a sustainable diet. 32:09: 🍽 The speaker discusses the challenges of motivating people with health issues to change their eating habits. 36:26: 🧠 The importance of behavioral modifications and support systems in adopting a healthy lifestyle and the potential benefits of exercise in Alzheimer's patients. Recap by Tammy AI

[@sanautin]

Very interesting and informative!

[@Paul-dorsetuk]

Very interesting video thank you both very much.

[@wigglywrigglydoo]

Please do an episode on ketogenic diet for elderly patients who are very weak, bed ridden, and don't have testh to chew hard foods. My parent is dying from alzheimer's and I don't know what to do, and what to feed him 😭.

[@patricktony9504]

My Dad is also at this state which your parent is in. Its been a battle to get him to eat well.. He is bed ridden and barely eats. I find soups work well. Heaththy puddings. But, there comes a time when its basiclly time to pass on. They may be at that point, which my Dad is at. Weeks or even days. Best Wishes and God bless.

[@ekondigg6751]

Try soup (low carb, of course) with an egg cracked into it, because of the protein requirement of frail people, vs typical refusal to eat meat, and at least one tablespoon of MCT oil, as much as tolerated without causing diarhea. That's what I used as an evening meal for my mother-in-law.

[@lynlawley8903]

Egg knog is a good drink milk egg a bit of sugar or honey and rum ,/brandy and it buildsdont use the one,s from doing tors they tast yak and are chemicals and sugar

[@gigics6695]

@@ekondigg6751. What was the base of your soup?

[@chaseplacelinda]

We blend our meals in either a Nutribullet or Vitamix into a smooth sauce for Mom (101years - dentures don't fit well anymore). I wish I could show a picture of the next step, but just google for catsup and mustard picnic containers and you will see the kind of 8 ounce containers with pointy squirt tops that we fill with the soup. Put the lid on. Now take one of those GoGo squeeze yogurt or Treetop applesauce pouches that has been rinsed out and squirt the soup into it. If it is too liquidy, add a little psyllium to thicken it. Too liquidy will choke an older person. If it is too strong tasting, thin it out with high fat coconut cream (check the label and buy the one with the most fat) or whipping cream. Mom loves these pouches because she can feed herself and gets many different flavors (we also make frosties out of chocolate protein, frozen banana, etc. and put in them. It is easy to add collagen powder, magnesium citrate powder, supergreens powder, lemon flavored fish oil, MCT oil, prebiotic fiber, etc into the concoctions. Good luck!

[@Jimfrenchde]

I have atrial fibrillation, I hope that this ketogenic diet helps.

[@dianechilds1857]

The ‘carbaddictiondoc’ Dr. Cywes, just had a KZbin on this

[@MrDeepak57]

Dr Sean Omara. I am 64 from Kathmandu, Nepal . My relatives are coming from USA after few days looking for Device that you mentioned in previous videos about Sagittal abdominal diameter which is X-ray calipers not able to find in Amazon . MRI expensive any other way to measure at home ? Thank you.

[@stanleysokolow]

If I take more than 1 tablespoon of MCT oil, it acts as a laxative. I wonder if patients can tolerate enough MCT oil intake to benefit their brain.

[@theresehazen528]

Building up slowly works for some.

[@BunE22]

In most elderly, constipation is an issue, so the oil might help keep things moving. For younger people, maybe split the dose during the day?

[@kocsogarc]

You can use coconut oil, too

[@turbomarek]

You need to emulsify it. It gets much better absorbed and creates much less GI stress in an emulsified state, scientific proven. I put a bit of protein powder with mct oil and some hot coffee in the blender for at least a minute until it's foamy

[@ΚΛΕΑΝΘΗΣΡΟΚΙΔΗΣ]

Let me ask some things: doing a carnivore diet (eggs, bacon, meat, fish, butter) , is it sure that you are going to insert in a therapeutic nutritional ketosis state? If the answer is YES, does this hold true even if the caloric intake is greater than the calories spent? Meaning that if you are gaining weight can you also be in a ketosis state?

[@metabolicmind]

Yes, you can gain weight even in ketosis. It can be challenging to do, but it is possible especially with keto products or with adding lots of butter, cream, and nuts (more than you "need" to add) to everything. Since a carnivore diet is essentially zero carb, just about everyone should be in ketosis with that diet. You can easily check with an over the counter ketone meter.

[@lynlawley8903]

Also just eat less,,you should feel full, most get ill because we ate ,to much sugar based ie rice turns to sugar also lots of premade foods pasta and the way we eat is hard because we aren't working walking so hard now using cars, as eating large meals and lots of sugar puddings ,,drinks how many sugars monster 17 sugar in a can ,,realy ,,and I didn't read the tin ,,I was so shocked and how addictive,,they are

[@lynlawley8903]

And carbs break down to sugar,,and balance what foods you burn

[@karenohanlon4183]

I think that a lot of people on the run of the mill pharmaceuticals seem to be more prone to early onset Alzheimer's.

[@lynlawley8903]

Lots of pharmaceutical s have bad side effects and cause other illnesses

[@judymiller5154]

Who can give me the short list of best items to include/exclude? My hubby has early AD signs, his older sister had it bad so he is concerned. He is willing to try a diet change for 90 days...started out to consider carnivore, but now he wants this and that favorite once in a while, etc. I see ultimate failure (see, I did it, and it didn't work). I think eliminate sugar, fruit, starch, grains, alcohol, and seed oils. And add MCT oil.Is that a good outline?

[@metabolicmind]

That is a good outline. Here's a guide that may help with more details. www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/foods

[@barbaramartinetti]

There was a 60-minute segment on recently about how Parkinson's improved after 45 minutes on the treadmill. Maybe it was the ketones produced by exercise. Also, Michael J Fox said years ago that his Parkinson's disappeared while he was ice skating.....maybe the ketones also.

[@terhohalme]

Sorry, but there is no huge money in ketogenic diet for big pharma, that where your resistance is... Over 12 years on ketogenic/carnivore diet, all metebolic problems like obesity, diabetes and depression are dissappeard.

[@BunE22]

Not only that, how many doctors get kickbacks from pharma for prescribing meds? That could be an incentive for some docs to keep their patients on medications.

[@summertime104]

I do not really understand the difference between coconut oil and MCT. I bought coconut oil and used it for the first time yesterday cooking fried eggs. I saw a podcast yesterday where a woman used both MCT and coconut oil to help alleviate her husbands Alzheimer's symptoms, on her own because she was not getting any help. It improved him greatly but in the end, his brain donated to research showed that he had Lewy bodies disease which explained some of his symptoms. She said he was able to tie his own shoes after she began treating him with the oil whereas prior, he could not.

[@happynjoyousnfree]

Holy crap! Can you post a link to that podcast?

[@metabolicmind]

Here's a link kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGSQZnqHm8p9bJo

[@metabolicmind]

There may or may not be a significant difference between coconut and MCT oil. You can think of MCT oil as being more "pure." But as Mary Newport hypothesized, there may be other components of coconut oil that provide benefit that we don't get with MCT. To be clear, that is her hypothesis, and I don't think there is any evidence to support that, but it may be something to consider. At this point, I don't think we can say for sure that there is a significant difference.

[@summertime104]

@@metabolicmind ty

[@summertime104]

@@happynjoyousnfree I will go into history

[@danettedarbonne1804]

What ketogenic suppliments does he use in his studies?

[@metabolicmind]

The most common keto supplements are MCT oil or exogenous ketones.

[@MsSilver41]

Off topic but how do we find a psychiatrist, dietician and doctor in Australia 🇦🇺 that can help??? My brother is treated for bipolar and schizophrenia and I’m struggling with supporting the ill effects of the Psych drugs which is the only medical advice he’s being given .

[@metabolicmind]

You can try the directory at www.DiagnosisDiet.com/directory to see if you can find someone to work with, or even someone who can see you remotely. We hope that helps!

[@toneyniko99]

"... a fragile population..." A protein centric, animal based, ketogenic diet will also make that to a great extent a non-issue... relative to pre-existing medically induced damage.

[@chrissie.0864]

I’m curious to know how old Dr. Cunnane is now - does anyone know ?

[@boneymaxfield]

It's actually simple why progress and adoption of these positive results is so slow, follow the money on which businesses and wealthy corporations/individuals profit by keeping things exactly as is regarding the general population's health experience.😢 😢

[@kabropatai5476]

Keto +exercise + fasting like eating in 6 t0 8 hr window or one meal a day will speed up ketone level.

[@jerrycash5606]

A Flex Fuel vehicle is a better analogy The goal is to achieve metabolic flexibility.

[@9879SigmundS]

If we had had a free market in medicine before now, the ketogenic diet would have been standard fare at least a decade ago.

[@marilynpeoples5099]

Exercise!!!! Ah , the Golden Fleece. How many jumping jacks for how long ?😊

[@joanwilson4491]

THERE...this brilliant man/researcher said it....ketones in the brain are indeed the preferred fuel. Our standard american diet (the sad diet) is a devastation to our brains whether young or old. Whether it is alzheimers, anxiety, or any number of mental disorders...glucose(too much sugar in the blood and in our storage) is usually the main disaster for body and brain. Recently I cringed when a new kid on the block (The so called "Glucose Goddess") said twice that glucose is our bodies preferred fuel. So many people who should seriously know better need to remember that we can only have the equivalent of 4grams/approximately 1 tsp of sugar in our blood, any more and it puts our bodies in severe danger. Our bodies use glucose first, not because it is a preferred fuel but because it is a threat when it needs to find storage places constantly thanks to sugar/carb addiction being the norm. Also, our bodies can make all the glucose it "needs" from proteins and fats. There are essential protein and essential fats for human life. There is no such thing as an essential carb.

[@maidomaidonaidekka]

The liver cannot use ketones because the liver makes ketones for the rest of the body. The brain cannot use fatty acids because the brain is made of fat, i.e. it cannot consume itself... Red blood cells cannot use oxygen (no mitochondria & produce energy via fermentation of glucose) because they carry oxygen. The heart and kidneys are very crucial organs always working hard and need stable fuels like ketones and fatty acids. Glucose is virtually for the body's emergency use, i.e. sub-fuel.

[@maidomaidonaidekka]

Nice topic nice video!! It is important that first we need to eliminate yeast overgrowth, otherwise cravings for carbs will continue. Once it is eliminated, there is not much cravings for sweets or any other types of carbs, except for sweet potato. I think using the right types of probiotics and herbs like oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, mint, etc., in our diet will help. This is called brain-gut interaction. Once the candida overgrowth is suppressed, then re-introducing some healthy carbs like sweet potatoes with ghee caramel, goat cheese cakes, etc., would be wonderful 🥰

[@Alec_Collins78]

Doesn't the brain need to be able to use fatty acids in order to use ketones?

[@metabolicmind]

The brain as a rule is very poor at using fatty acids for fuel. That's what makes ketones so important for providing an alternative fuel source.

[@joanwilson4491]

Other then the rare antibiotic for emergencies, drugs are NEVER the answer! All disease is metabolic.

[@PaulBCAB]

So if you're looking for a psychologist, you might want to see if you can get hold of Jordan Peterson. Not only might he have suggestions about how to incentivize people to utilize the keto diet, he could potentially reach a wide audience with the research results. The reason he might listen is that he is on a Carnivore/Keto diet and is well aware of its benefits to him.

[@caspianlake8475]

Dr Perlmutter, too.

[@joshydillens148]

If ur blood brain barrier breaks down you cant bring ketons/glucose to the brain efficiently

[@MrSudarwito]

Incridebly enplanation

[@MarquitoRH]

Nobody talking about all the potential negatives of Keto diet here unfortunately. Serious long term health consequences may be coming down the road in the future. Fibre consumption leads to a 27% reduction in all cause mortality. This fad is so dangerous with very limited or no long term outcome studies available. Be very careful with all these promises based on early mechanistic research

[@metabolicmind]

Thanks for your comment. Interestingly, none of the potential negatives has been shown to be the case for people eating keto. And the data in favor of fiber and whole grains all come from the context of high-carb diets. So, there is lots of room for nuance. Here's a link to an educational guide that has much more detail, which may be helpful. www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/skeptical-doctors

[@joeberrouard3743]

You clearly don’t understand a ketogenic diet if you think you cannot have fiber on a keto diet

[@metabolicmind]

Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, avocado, etc. etc.

[@JennifertxCarnivore]

Carnivore rocks!

[@Amanda_downunder]

good, AND, Dr John McDougall says aluminum is a part of it ! I don't feel on keto diet, I like starch-based. #HCLF #starchivore

[@adamandsteve13]

Does Dr John McDougall look healthy? Mentally and physically.

[@Аннушка-ж6ш]

👍👏💯🖐🇷🇺

[@bobcocampo]

Test KETO 🥑🥓🥚🧀 with prisoners in the Philippines