Ketogenic Diet: A Promising Neuroprotective Composition for Managing Alzheimer's Diseases and its Pathological Mechanisms

Abstract

Ketogenic diet and ketone bodies gained significant attention in recent years due to their ability to influence the specific energy metabolism and restoration of mitochondrial homeostasis that can help in hindering the progression of many metabolic diseases, including diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. A ketogenic diet consists of high fat and low carbohydrate contents, which makes the body glucose deprived and rely on alternative sources (ketone bodies) for energy. It has been initially designed and supplemented for the treatment of epilepsy, and, later, its influence on many energyderiving biochemical pathways made it a highly sorted food supplement for many metabolic diseases and even for bodybuilding and calorie restriction in healthy individuals. Among the reported therapeutic action over a range of diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease, gained the attention of many researchers and clinicians because of the higher benefits of the ketogenic diet on this disease. Complex pathology and multiple influencing factors of Alzheimer's disease make exploration of its therapeutic strategies a demanding task. It was a common phenomenon that energy deprivation in neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, progress rapidly. The ability of ketone bodies to stabilize the mitochondrial energy metabolism makes it a suitable intervening agent. In this review, we will discuss various research progress made with regards to ketone bodies/ketogenic diet for the management of Alzheimer's disease and elaborate in detail about the mechanisms that are influenced during their therapeutic action.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Ketogenic diet; endothelial dysfunction; metabolic diseases; neurodegenerative disorders; β- hydroxybutyrate (BHB).