AHS16 - Ancestral Health Symposium 2016

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia and a degenerative disease of the cerebral cortex. Genetic and environmental risk factors to AD have been identified. The molecular characteristics of AD entail the formation of β-amyloid plaque and tangles of tau. Evidence suggests that deregulated brain metabolism and nutrient availability play a role in the pathogenesis of this Illness. In fact, type 3 diabetes mellitus has been proposed as an alternate name for AD. With emphasis on glucose, lipids, and ketone bodies, we will address the mechanisms that control nutrient transport and bioavailability in healthy and diseased brains, and how these may contribute to AD pathogenesis. Finally, we will examine the evidence suggesting a beneficial effect of nutritional ketosis in the prevention and management of AD, in addition to the influence of other dietary factors.