High in fats and low in carbs, ketogenic diets were originally developed in the 1920s to treat children with epilepsy. Now, they've gained popularity for weight loss, and even improved cognitive function.

But how much truth is there in the purported brain health benefits we see on social media? In this episode of 'Your Brain On...', we separate the facts from the fads, and discuss:

• What one might eat on a typical ketogenic diet

• How ketogenic diets affect brain metabolism

• The different ways your brain uses sources of energy — glucose vs. ketones

• The latest data on ketogenic diet in Alzheimer's disease patients

• What we know about how ketogenic diets and treatment of Alzheimer's

• The outcome differences between ketogenic diets and ketone supplements in Alzheimer's

• Other evidence-based nutritional approaches for brain health

For this episode, we welcome two world-renowned professionals in the field of nutrition and neuroscience:

DR. MATTHEW TAYLOR, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Dietetics and Nutrition, Kansas University Medical Center

DR. RUSSELL SWERDLOW, MD, Gene and Marge Sweeney Professor of Neurology; Director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Kansas University Medical Center

This is... Your Brain On Ketogenic Diets.

'Your Brain On' is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

'Your Brain On... Ketogenic Diets' • SEASON 4 • EPISODE 4

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REFERENCES

1. Wheless, James W. "History of the ketogenic diet." Epilepsia 49 (2008): 3-5.

2. Krolak-Salmon, Pierre, Russell H. Swerdlow, Thibault Mastain, Catherine Dive-Pouletty, Nick Pooley, and Masoumeh Kisomi. "Efficacy and Safety of Exogenous Ketones in People with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Literature Review." Nutrition Reviews (2024): nuae098.

3. Taylor, Matthew K., Debra K. Sullivan, Jonathan D. Mahnken, Jeffrey M. Burns, and Russell H. Swerdlow. "Feasibility and efficacy data from a ketogenic diet intervention in Alzheimer's disease." Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions 4 (2018): 28-36.

4. Taylor, Matthew K., Russell H. Swerdlow, and Debra K. Sullivan. "Dietary neuroketotherapeutics for Alzheimer's disease: an evidence update and the potential role for diet quality." Nutrients 11, no. 8 (2019): 1910.

5. Koppel, Scott J., and Russell H. Swerdlow. "Neuroketotherapeutics: a modern review of a century-old therapy." Neurochemistry international 117 (2018): 114-125.

6. O'Neill, Blair, and Paolo Raggi. "The ketogenic diet: Pros and cons." Atherosclerosis 292 (2020): 119-126.

7. Crosby, Lee, Brenda Davis, Shivam Joshi, Meghan Jardine, Jennifer Paul, Maggie Neola, and Neal D. Barnard. "Ketogenic diets and chronic disease: weighing the benefits against the risks." Frontiers in nutrition 8 (2021): 702802.