Enhance autophagy, ketogenesis
Goal: Enhance autophagy, ketogenesis
Approach: Fast 12 hours each night and stop eating 3 hours prior to bedtime.
Rationale: Reduce insulin levels, reduce Aß.
Autophagy means "self-eating." When you don't eat for longer periods, your body turns to itself for fuel by recycling the old bits and pieces that results from cellular functions. Here is an interesting discussion of autophagy.
Ketogenesis means making ketone molecules. When you sleep, after your last meal with carbs is all digested and used, your brain still needs energy. If you fast long enough it gets some from turning your fat stores into ketones which the brain can use in place of blood glucose. For an introduction to ketosis and the brain, see our page on Ketosis and the Ketogenic Diet.
Insulin is the hormone produced when you eat carbohydrates, telling your body to take glucose out of the bloodstream. If you eat more carbohydrates than your body can process, you can become insulin resistant. This can lead to diabetes, which doubles your Alzheimer's risk. For strategies to improve your insulin resistance, see our page on Insulin Resistance.
Aß (Amyloid Beta) plaque is often found in autopsies of Alzheimer's brains. A ketogenic diet has been shown to reduce the plaques in mice. Pieces of Aß are insulin-like molecules that make it harder for brain cells to get glucose from the blood.
References
- Overnight fasting/autophagy as a neuroprotective strategy: Neuroprotective effects of dietary restriction: Evidence and Mechanisms
- Ketone as an alternate form of neural fuel in ApoE4 carriers: Brain fuel metabolism, aging, and Alzheimer's disease
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