THE AGING (STARVING) BRAIN

Having an alternative fuel to glucose becomes incredibly important as the brain ages because studies show that in cognitively normal older people, the uptake and use of glucose in our brain is reduced.

Research suggests that as we age our brains lose the ability to utilise glucose and could become deprived of energy.

Furthermore, this could be present well before any apparent cognitive decline typically associated with ageing, i.e., go completely unnoticed and continuously push the brain to a state of energy starvation.

 Experts believe this energy deprivation in the brain contributes to cognitive decline in aging whilst also becoming a factor in the development and further risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore it is vitally important this cycle is broken to prevent our brains becoming starved of energy.

KETONES FROM MCTs BYPASS THE ENERGY DEFICIT CYCLE

The brain uses two different types of fuel:

GLUCOSE from CARBOHYDRATES

or

KETONES from FATS (MCTs)

 It appears as though our brain does not lose the ability to utilise ketones because research shows that healthy older people are able to utilise ketones just as well as younger people.

MCTs increase ketone availability therefore providing our energy deprived brain cells with this alternative fuel may help to bypass the energy deficit and overcome cognitive deterioration in a safe and scientifically supported manner.

The same brain cells that were starving are now able to function normally once again.