Printable page in A4 size Professor Stephen Cunnane
"Brain Glucose and Ketone Metabolism"
Stephen Cunnane (27 minutes)
Virta Health - 1 Nov 2018
An impressive body of scientific evidence over the last 15 years documents long term benefits of carbohydrate-restricted, especially ketogenic, diets. We now understand molecular mechanisms and why they work. Popular books and articles now challenge the advice ‘carbohydrates are good and fats are bad.’ Circa mid-19th century urinary ketones were identified in diabetics sealing their toxic label for the next 150 years. Despite work four decades ago showing ketones were highly functional metabolites, they are still misidentified as toxic byproducts of fat metabolism. The vilification of fat by regulatory and popular dogma perpetuates this myth. But the nutrition-metabolic landscape is improving dramatically.
A growing number of researchers have contributed to what is now a critical mass of science that provides compelling clinical evidence that ketogenic diets uniquely benefit weight loss, pre-diabetes, and type-2 diabetes. In the last five years, basic scientists have discovered that b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), the primary circulating ketone, is a potent signaling molecule that decreases inflammation and oxidative stress.
Although type-2 diabetes is often described as a chronic progressive disease, emerging evidence indicates that sustained nutritional ketosis can reverses the disease. There is growing interest in studying potential therapeutic effects of ketosis on cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. There are even reasons certain athletes may benefit from nutritional ketosis and ketone supplements ─ debunking the long-standing dogma that high carbohydrate intake is required to perform optimally.
"Ketosis and Alzheimer's: A Metabolic Neuroscience Journey"
Bret Scher with Stephen Cunnane (41 minutes)
Metabolic Mind - 31 Aug 2023
Early evidence indicates that ketogenic therapy is a safe and effective treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia. Dr. Stephen Cunnane has been part of this field for decades and has seen the research take shape. But he’s also seen very slow adoption in clinical practice. Dr. Cunnane, professor at the University of Sherbrooke, shares his journey through this field, why he got started with ketone research, how ketogenic therapies could revolutionize how we treat dementia, and what we need to do to make it more acceptable.
Cognitive improvement with ketones in mild cognitive impairment
Prof. Stephen Cunnane (24 minutes)
ILSI Europe - 18 Nov 2022
My presentation is going to be on ketones. We've used them in mild cognitive impairment and the relationship that we see between the cognitive Improvement and various forms of multimodal Imaging that help dissect some of the mechanisms that are involved.
Dietary interventions aiming to protect cognition during ageing
Brain energy (glucose) deficit in Alzheimer disease.
Ketones are the brain's alternative fuel to glucose.
Two fuels - the brain should be like a hybrid car
Cognitive outcomes correlated with the increase in brain, plasma ketones
Increased ketone uptake in white matter tracts after ketogenic MCT
Positive link between ketone uptake in white matter tracts and improved processing speed
Nutritional ketosis as a lifestyle intervention to protect cognition during ageing
Brain energy rescue with ketones a key component of cognitive health during ageing?
