| Ketogenic diets have been used to control seizures in people suffering from epilepsy. It has reportedly been used for controlling migraines and possibly other neurological conditions. Ketones being an alternative fuel for the brain, it can relieve neuronal starvation from cognitive hypoglycemia. Whether there's some other magical property of ketones at play, or it's simply that in some people glucose metabolism in the brain is broken, it's all speculation at this point. Note that for epilepsy patients, the classic ketogenic diet isn't something that people can adhere to, being something that's normally done under medical supervision. --- Btw I tried the ketogenic diet for several months and I noticed cool effects like my face acne almost disappearing. However the beneficial effects persisted after switching to a moderate carbs diet made of whole foods. The standard diet is a disaster for health, being very inflammatory and obesogenic, but you might want to also experiment with a whole foods diet, made primarily from fresh plants and animal products cooked at home. You might discover the same benefits. And if you eat at maintenance, or with a caloric deficit, you'll naturally cycle in and out of ketosis daily anyway. But if what you do is working for you and you feel great, then good for you, keep doing it. |
My understanding is that the brain / neurons require glucose to operate, they don't directly metabolise ketones to a great degree. When in ketosis, blood sugar drops very low and the brain's glucose has to be sourced from gluconeogenesis: an inefficient and minimal conversion of ketones to glucose. This low blood sugar has metabolic effects on neurons (as well as many other types of cell).
The USP of a ketogenic diet is that it allows persistent sustainable low blood sugar, which is otherwise only seen in inherently unsustainable fasting.