• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

everywomanover29

Food, Mood and Women's Health – Be your healthiest, look and feel great!

  • Blog
  • About
  • Services
  • Store
  • Resources
  • Testimonials
  • Media
  • The Book
  • Contact

Ketogenic diet

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/ALS: ketogenic diet, GABA, 5-HTP and environmental toxins

May 25, 2018 By Trudy Scott 26 Comments

(Image from ABC: The Enemy Within – Australian Story)

I recently watched a documentary on the life and work of Justin Yerbury, a basket-ball player turned scientist who has motor neuron disease (also referred to as ALS) and is seeking a cure. It was aired on ABC and called The Enemy Within – Australian Story

When Justin Yerbury’s family members began to die from motor neurone disease he made a life-changing decision.

He turned his back on a professional basketball career and enrolled in a science degree. Almost 20 years later, he is an internationally recognised expert on the disease, leading the way in the search for a treatment.

Recently, however, Justin’s work took on a terrible urgency as he too developed symptoms of MND.

As Australian Story filmed with Justin and his family, his condition deteriorated dramatically, requiring difficult decisions to enable him to continue his search for a cure.

Having met Justin in 2017, Professor Stephen Hawking recorded the introduction to this story shortly before his death from motor neurone disease.

(the Australian spellings are neurone instead of neuron and recognised instead of recognized)

I felt very moved by his story and work and felt compelled to reach out to Dr. Yerbury to share what I have learned about this condition in the last few years. I know of a number of practitioners who work with individuals with this condition and even some colleagues with family members who have been diagnosed with this condition. I have also had enough queries that it’s time for a blog post on the topic so you are informed too.

What is Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motor neuron disease (MND)?

Let’s start with the fact sheet on Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from the NIH (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke). They describe ALS as follows:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a group of rare neurological diseases that mainly involve the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement. Voluntary muscles produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. Currently, there is no cure for ALS and no effective treatment to halt, or reverse, the progression of the disease.

ALS belongs to a wider group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases, which are caused by gradual deterioration (degeneration) and death of motor neurons. Motor neurons are nerve cells that extend from the brain to the spinal cord and to muscles throughout the body. These motor neurons initiate and provide vital communication links between the brain and the voluntary muscles.

I encourage you to watch the 30 minute program if you want to learn more about this condition and Dr. Yerbury’s work (they call it MND rather than ALS in the documentary.)

You may also be familiar with the life and story of Professor Stephen Hawking – he had ALS or motor neuron disease.

Ketogenic diet for ALS?

Here is some of the information I sent to Dr. Yerbury, explaining my work as a nutritionist working with women with anxiety using nutritional psychiatry approaches. Many of these nutritional psychiatry approaches – such as the SMILES study – have been spear-headed in Australia by Professor Felice Jacka.

I’ve recently being looking at the growing research base on the ketogenic diet and mental health and when I saw his story on ABC my first thought was – I wonder if there is research on ketogenic diets and ALS/MND? After a very quick search I found these papers:

  • High-Fat and Ketogenic Diets in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

there are strong epidemiologic data showing that malnutrition is a common symptom of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis both in humans and in mice and may contribute to disease progression. There is also epidemiologic evidence that increased dietary fat and cholesterol intake might reduce the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the rate disease progression. Finally, data from animal studies strongly suggest that increasing dietary intake of fat ameliorates disease progression. However, determining whether amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients should be treated with a high-fat or ketogenic diet can be based only on randomized double-blind placebo-controlled interventional trials.

  • Neuroprotection in Metabolism-Based Therapy

Metabolism-based therapy [which includes the ketogenic diet] has been used successfully in the treatment of seizures but study of its use in other neurodegenerative disorders [such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ALS] is growing.

A gluten-free diet?

We must always consider gluten with every chronic health condition. There is a case report of celiac disease with neurologic manifestations misdiagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:

he was diagnosed as having CD, and a gluten-free diet was immediately begun. At a 4-month follow-up, his weight and the quality of his stool had improved gradually, and the neurological manifestations had not progressed.

Another study reports that in certain cases, ALS may be associated with autoimmunity and gluten sensitivity, with elevated transglutaminase 6 antibodies in the serum of 23 patients.

GABA and 5-HTP: the Deanna Protocol

Awhile back I was contacted by someone in my community about the Deanna Protocol for ALS because it uses amino acids GABA and 5-HTP and other nutrients like niacin and CoQ10:

It is determined that the substances in the DP™ Plan provide energy to cells that are dying and in doing so keeps them alive.  This is very important because when nerve cells die, they release glutamate which kills the contiguous cells.  If too many cells are dying then we cannot supply enough energy to keep up with the rate of death of the cells.  When the DP™ Plan​ is taken in sufficient quantities, it will support the nerves that are challenged by glutamate.

As you may already know I use targeted individual amino acids such as GABA and tryptophan/5-HTP with clients so I am very familiar with their therapeutic benefits for anxiety and I am fascinated they also ease symptoms in ALS.

There is an animal study supporting this approach: Metabolic therapy with Deanna Protocol supplementation delays disease progression and extends survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mouse model.

Anxiety and depression

There is also research indicating that psychiatric symptoms often precede an ALS diagnosis:

neuropsychiatric conditions are overrepresented in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient kindreds and psychiatric symptoms may precede the onset of motor symptoms…. A diagnosis of depression was significantly associated with a first record of ALS ≥5 years later, in keeping with growing evidence for major depressive disorder as an early marker of cerebral neurodegeneration.

This doesn’t mean if you have anxiety or depression that ALS or another neurodegenerative disorder is in your future, because we can address so many of the root causes before we get to that diagnosis. Many of the nutrients in the Deanna Protocol will help both the person with ALS and the caregivers who also suffer psychological distress.

Environmental toxins and ALS

We recently spent 3 days at Shell Harbour just south of the Wollongong area and we loved it!

Lovely Red Sands Beach, NSW

As beautiful as it was I couldn’t help but be concerned about the toxins being released into the air from the steel production plants. Dr. Yerbury lives in the area and is conducting his research at the University of Wollongong. I know toxins play a role in many diseases and wondered about an ALS connection. I found this paper: Association of Environmental Toxins With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Pollution in Wollongong

I also shared that I’m a total research geek and pretty passionate about the power of nutrition, lifestyle and environmental factors because this was how I was able to eliminate my own anxiety and panic attacks.

You can learn more about Dr. Yerbury and his publications here. We appreciate the work him and his research team are doing and thank him for sharing his story.

It would be wonderful if some of this information can help Dr. Yerbury and even be considered for future research by his very passionate research team. I also hope this information will be helpful for you or a loved one suffering with ALS or MND.

Filed Under: Anxiety, Gluten, Toxins Tagged With: 5-HTP, ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anxiety, caregiver, depression, Dr. Justin Yerbury, environmental toxins, GABA, gluten, Ketogenic diet, MND, motor neuron disease

Brain and mood benefits of a ketogenic lifestyle

May 19, 2018 By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

Keto Edge Summit

We know that ketones help you burn fat for energy, powerfully reduce inflammation and show promise in preventing and eradicating diabetes, cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and even play a role in mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Experts on the Keto Edge Summit share many of the brain and mood benefits of a ketogenic lifestyle.

Dr. David Jockers shares this about anxiety and GABA and glutamate (his #5 benefit) in his interview on the ‘Top 7 Benefits of a Ketogenic Lifestyle’:

We have an epidemic of depression and anxiety in our society. And so, one of the key things that being keto-adapted does—not only does it downregulate inflammation in the brain, and we know that depression now is really neuroinflammation.

So the other big thing is we’ve got these neurotransmitters. One is glutamate; the other is GABA. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, meaning that it helps us think sharply and quickly. What balances glutamate is this other neurotransmitter called GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid. And it’s inhibitory. It helps balance us and calm us. What we find is that people with anxiety, they have high glutamate, low GABA. They don’t have a good ratio. Same thing with depression.

So what a ketogenic diet does, when we’re keto-adapted, it helps balance out the glutamate to GABA ratio and creates stability there. What does that mean to you? That means you’re going to be able to think sharply and quickly but you’re not going to get out of control. Your brain’s not going to be going too fast. You’re not going to be at risk for anxiety, for depression in the same way. You’re going to notice just an improved mood, more emotional balance.

Dr. David Perlmutter shares the importance of blood sugar regulation in his interview ‘Keto for Brain Health’:

Blood sugar regulation is pivotal as it relates to the destiny of your brain. Probably the most important biometric that determines whether you will or won’t become an Alzheimer’s patient is what your fasting blood sugar is today.

Even with the ApoE-4 gene, the ketogenic diet, physical exercise, and gluten-free, lowering sugar and carbs… are important changes that can absolutely rewrite your book.

I think it’s important to understand that humans have probably been in a state of ketosis most of the time over most of our existence on this planet. It’s only been in the last 10,000 years or so when we’ve created agriculture that we’ve had this robust availability of carbohydrate resources that has really shifted the human diet to one that is carbohydrate-based as opposed to fat-based.

Dr. Cheryl Burdette also covers inflammation in her interview, ‘Inflammation and the Ketogenic Diet’:

So when we see markers of oxidative stress high, not only do we know the DNA is suffering but we know our mitochondria, our powerhouse is suffering and, therefore, our brain is suffering. And so what you see is a high 8-OHdG – you see that high in conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s but you even see it high in depression or bipolar or anxiety. What you also see is a ketogenic diet, helps to lower that. What you also see is adding more antioxidants, helps to lower that. So again, we’re back to our green leafies with our good fats.

The Keto Edge Summit is available online and there are REPLAYS ALL WEEKEND. You can still register here to hear the replays

Please share your gems and what you’ve implemented or are planning to implement in terms of a ketogenic lifestyle.

Filed Under: Events, Ketogenic diet Tagged With: anxiety, brain, David Jockers, David Perlmutter, depression, GABA, glutamate, Keto Edge Summit, Ketogenic diet, ketogenic lifestyle, mood

KetoNutrition: From Science to Emerging Applications and Practical Implementation

May 4, 2018 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

I had the pleasure of hearing Dominic D’Agostino, NASA crew member, researcher and Associate Professor at the University of South Florida present on “KetoNutrition: From Science to Emerging Applications and Practical Implementation” at the 6th BioCeuticals Research Symposium in Melbourne last weekend. His presentation was based on decades of evidence that supports the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties of nutritional ketosis. It was one of my favorite presentations and I’m thrilled to share some of the highlights with you here.

Ketones are alternative fuels and neuroprotective signaling metabolites – increasing longevity, lowering inflammation, dampening oxidative stress, lowering glutamate and raising GABA.

In this slide he shared how the proven applications of nutritional ketosis are extensive – including epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, weight loss, NAFLD, mitochondrial disease and inflammation, GLUTID Syndrome, PDH Deficiency, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome and Rett Syndrome.

There is emerging evidence for acne, PCOS, exercise performance, wound healing, longevity, cancer, CNS Oxygen Toxicity, autism, Angelman’s Syndrome, ALS, MS, Neuropathies, Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, neurodegeneration, anxiety, depression, bipolar and schizoaffective disorder.

Seizures, cancer and the ketogenic diet

 

In his TEDx talk from 2013 Dr. D’Agostino shares the benefits of a ketogenic diet for seizures and how while studying the effects of gasses on the brains of Navy Seal divers, he developed an approach for metabolically starving cancer cells through diet and compressed oxygen, replacing chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation.

He ends by saying this:

Future treatments and prevention of many diseases may fall back on the ancient wisdom of Hippocrates when he said “let food be thy medicine”

As you can see from the applications slide above, much more research has been done on the therapeutic benefits of a ketogenic diet since this 2013 TEDx talk.  And food truly is medicine!

In one of his studies, the first paper above, ketone supplementation was found to have an anti-anxiety effect – Exogenous Ketone Supplements Reduce Anxiety-Related Behavior in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk Rats:

We conclude that ketone supplementation may represent a promising anxiolytic strategy through a novel means of inducing nutritional ketosis.

Adenosine and the adenosinergic mechanism

He shared a number of studies that describe how the anti-anxiety and anti-convulsant effects of ketone supplementation are mediated, in part, through the adenosinergic mechanism. This was one of his papers – Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketone Supplementation Is Abolished by Adenosine A1 Receptor Inhibition in Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk Rats.

Adenosine is a neurochemical which many coffee-drinkers may be familiar with since: “Caffeine increases wakefulness [and often anxiety] by antagonizing adenosine receptors, and adenosine itself promotes sleepiness” and a feeling of calm.

Older research finds that there is the “involvement of adenosinergic receptor system in anxiety related behaviours.” More recent research describes adenosine as “a mediator with multisystemic effects”, and it is produced by almost all cells, playing a role in heart function, sleep, bone health, activation of the immune system and mediating the effect of various hormones. I expect we’ll be hearing a great deal more about adenosine in relation to ketogenic diets in the near future.

The microbiomes of astronauts sync up and so do their serotonin levels

This was one of my favorite presentations at the BioCeuticals Symposium and it was really great to meet Dominic afterwards and learn more about future anxiety research. He shared that his lab has planned research on the benefits of ketosis for both anxiety and improved cognitive function.

It was also fascinating learning from someone who has been in space and hearing how the microbiomes of the astronauts sync up when they are all in space together. And so do their serotonin levels.

If the ketogenic diet is new for you or you want to see the latest research, check out Dominic’s work at Keto Nutrition. And if you want to learn more from Dominic and other keto experts, the Keto Edge Summit runs all of next week.

I also write about two schizoaffective case studies here and share questions and concerns I have about the ketogenic diet. It’s not a panacea for everyone in all instances. But the therapeutic benefits are profound when someone needs to adopt this dietary approach.

Feel free to ask questions and share you experiences with a ketogenic diet – in the comments below.

Filed Under: Anxiety, Bipolar disorder, Ketogenic diet Tagged With: adenosine, adenosinergic, anxiety, autism, cancer, depression, Dominic D'Agostino, keto, Ketogenic diet, ketosis, schizoaffective disorder, seizures, weight-loss

The ketogenic diet for mental health, weight loss, inflammation and disease prevention

May 2, 2018 By Trudy Scott 6 Comments

I wasn’t aware until recently that “KETO”, “Ketones” “Keto diet”, “Ketogenic lifestyle”, “Ketosis” and “Ketogenic diet” are some of the MOST SEARCHED terms on the internet today.

But there is a good reason for this and host of  The Keto Edge Summit (which runs from May 7-13, 2018), Dr. David Jockers shares this:

The goal of the ketogenic lifestyle is to adapt the body to utilize FAT as its primary fuel source instead of SUGAR.

For our ancestors, eating three meals a day just wasn’t a thing. Instead, they’d hunt and forage for the foods they could find. When there wasn’t food, they wouldn’t eat.

Sometimes they’d go for days without food. To sustain life during times of scarcity, the body is thought to have developed the ability to utilize fat as an alternative fuel source.

Today, there’s an abundance of food available to most of us at all times. We regularly eat three meals per day with intermittent snacking between them.

This kind of frequent eating, along with an overemphasis on carb-rich and sugary foods, causes a REDUCED ability to burn fat. Because we don’t have to hunt or forage for food; we’ve become “sugar burners.”

As these sugar-laden foods damage our bodies, we rely MORE on sugar and lose the ability to produce ketones – as a result, massive blood sugar spikes, inflammation, hormone imbalance and ultimately many of the chronic diseases that plague us today.

In a traditional nutrition course, you’d learn that sugar is the body’s PRIMARY fuel source, while fat is secondary. What we’ve learned now (and so much research is supporting this) fat can be a healthier and more sustainable source of energy.

Ketones help you burn fat for energy, powerfully reduce inflammation and show promise in preventing and eradicating diabetes, cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and they can even play a role in alleviating symptoms in mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and schizoaffective disorder.

One of the amazing speakers on the summit is Dominic D’Agostino, researcher and Associate Professor at the University of South Florida. I attended the Bioceuticals conference in Melbourne this past weekend and had the pleasure of hearing him present on this topic live and all I can say is wow! I don’t want you to miss out and now you don’t have to when you tune in via the Keto Edge Summit.

Here is one of the slides where he shares the many proven and emerging applications of nutritional ketosis:

The applications of nutritional ketosis are extensive – including epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, weight loss, NAFLD, mitochondrial disease and inflammation, with emerging evidence for acne, PCOS, wound healing, cancer, autism, ALS, MS, Alzheimer’s, the brain and anxiety.

(anxiety and depression fall under brain on the right and also under inflammatory disorders on the left)

I shared these case studies a few weeks ago in a blog post – Ketogenic diet: reductions in auditory hallucinations and delusions, better mood and energy, and weight loss. Two schizoaffective patients working with Dr. Chris Palmer, a psychiatrist from Harvard’s McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, tried a ketogenic diet for weight loss:

  • After four weeks on the ketogenic diet, the female patient had resolution of her delusions and lost ten pounds.
  • The male patient experienced similar results with “dramatic” reductions in auditory hallucinations and delusions, as well as better mood and energy. He also lost weight, losing 104 pounds over the course of a year.

There is also research reporting the following results:

  • Therapeutic use of carbohydrate-restricted diets in an autistic child; a case report of clinical and 18FDG PET findings

the patient’s behavior and intellect improved in regard to hyperactivity, attention span, abnormal reactions to visual and auditory stimuli, usage of objects, adaptability to changes, communication skills, fear, anxiety, and emotional reactions

  • Exogenous Ketone Supplements Reduce Anxiety-Related Behavior in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk Rats

ketone supplementation may represent a promising anxiolytic strategy through a novel means of inducing nutritional ketosis.

As Dr. Jockers states:

The GREATEST health discovery of this century may ALREADY be inside your body!

During this health summit, you’ll discover:

  • What is ketosis (and how does it work)?
  • Myths, and how to separate fact from fiction!
  • How to overcome the challenges of being “keto adapted.”
  • Whether you should start a keto diet (or not!).
  • How to shop, live and eat on a ketogenic lifestyle.

The Keto Edge Summit is online and available at no-cost from May 7-13, 2018! Register here

I will be in learning mode with you for the Keto Edge Summit. I’ve been following Dr. David Jockers for awhile and I’m very excited about the applications of a ketogenic diet for anxiety and depression, given what we’ve learned so far. It’s going to be a great educational opportunity for all of us.

Have you experienced benefits from a ketogenic diet? If yes please do share what benefits?

If you’ve had challenges being on a ketogenic diet please share those challenges too, so we can all learn.

Filed Under: Diet, Events, Ketogenic diet Tagged With: anxiety, brain, Dominic D'Agostino, Dr. David Jockers, Inflammation, keto, Ketogenic, Ketogenic diet, ketosis, The Keto Edge Summit, weight-loss

Lemongrass essential oil for cancer and anxiety: The Truth About Cancer livestream

October 2, 2017 By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

The Truth About Cancer live event which runs Oct 5-7 and the livestream broadcast starts on Thursday, October 5th at 9am Eastern. You can tune in and listen from home!

This event brings you the latest in natural cancer prevention, new therapies, cancer diets, toxins to avoid and much much more!

What’s so encouraging is that many of the natural treatments and approaches for cancer also help with reducing anxiety. One of these is the essential oil of lemongrass.

One of my favorite essential oil experts is Dr. Eric Zielinski and he is talking about Essential Oils, Aromatherapy, and Cancer. Dr. Z shares this about lemongrass essential oil and cancer:  

In 2009, an article was published that evaluated the essential oil of Cymbopogon flexuosus (a variety of lemongrass) for its in vitro cytotoxicity ability against 12 human cancer cell lines; as well as its anticancer effects on mice in vivo. The results were remarkable. Researchers discovered that the essential oil triggers a variety of mechanisms that kill cancer cells. “Our results indicate that the oil has a promising anticancer activity and causes loss in tumor cell viability by activating the apoptotic process as identified by electron microscopy.”

Research also shows that the GABAergic system contributes to the anxiety-reducing effect of essential oil from lemongrass (cymbopogon citratus).

A number of speakers are sharing the benefits of the ketogenic diet for cancer prevention and healing

  • Joseph Mercola – Ketogenic Diet and Cancer
  • Dr. Toni Bark – Ketogenic Diet and disease reversal and prevention
  • Cherie Calbom – Juice, Juice, and More Juice to Treat & Prevent Cancer: How Vegetable Juicing Complements a Ketogenic Diet

As you heard recently from Dr. David Jockers on the Mental Wellness Summit, the ketogenic diet helps with anxiety because it improves the ability of glutamate converting into GABA:

There is a relationship between glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Glutamate naturally converts into GABA when certain nutrients are present – like magnesium and vitamin B6 – along with a properly working GAD enzyme.

Now, when we have ketones present, they have been shown to improve the ability to convert glutamate into GABA.

Dr. David Jockers is also a speaker at The Truth About Cancer and is covering The Sugar-Cancer Connection

The list of speakers is truly a Who’s Who of natural cancer therapies … and includes superstars like:

  • Patrick Quillin – Beating Cancer with Nutrition
  • Robert Scott Bell – Gut Health, the Microbiome, and Cancer
  • Rashid Buttar -The Cancer Conflict: Resolving the 5th Toxicity
  • Tony Jimenez – Treating Cancer with Sound and Light
  • Mike Adams – The importance of “ORGANIC”
  • Del Bigtree – Freedom of Choice in Medicine
  • Chris Wark – How “Chris Beat Cancer”
  • Sayer Ji – Epigenetics and Cancer
  • Dr. Darrell Wolfe – DETOX and the Lymphatic system
  • Jeffrey Smith – How GMOs have been linked to cancer
  • Doug Kaufman – The Fungal Link to Cancer
  • Pharmacist Ben Fuchs – Skin Health & Skin Cancer
  • Barbara Loe Fisher – Freedom of Choice in Medical Interventions
  • Dr. Stuart Nunnally – Biological Dentistry and Cancer Prevention
  • Dr. Ben Johnson – Stem Cells, Lasers, and Novel Approaches for Cancer
  • Dr. Marlene Siegel – Preventing and Treating Cancer in Pets

And many more!

It’s 3 days that could very well save your life or the life of someone you love.

You’re invited to watch it LIVE at no cost from the comfort of your own home.

Take a minute to get all the details right here. The broadcast starts Thursday, October 5th at 9am Eastern.

I don’t often share resources about cancer but I feel this is such an amazing opportunity to learn and feel empowered so you don’t have to feel anxious about cancer. These experts may just have the healing answers you’ve been looking for! Please share with your friends, family and anyone else you think could use this information!

Just like there is hope and solutions for anxiety, there is HOPE … and healing … and survival for cancer too.

To your health! See you on the livestream!

Filed Under: Cancer, Essential oils, Events Tagged With: anxiety, cancer, Dr. Eric Zielinski, essential oils, Ketogenic diet, lemongrass, The Truth About Cancer, Ty Bolinger

A ketogenic diet for energy, mood stability and an end to anxiety

September 21, 2017 By Trudy Scott 20 Comments

Dr. David Jockers, is interviewed on the topic of the ketogenic diet on the Mental Wellness Summit 2, which airs online September 25 – October 2, 2017. The title of his interview is “Ketogenesis for Energy Stability” but I feel it could be called “Ketogenesis for Energy, Mood Stability and an end to Anxiety.” It’s a brilliant interview and he starts by sharing how the brain can use ketones and not only sugar: 

We know that about 2/3 of the brain energy can be produced by ketones. We used to think that basically the brain depended upon sugar as its only energy source. And it does need a small amount of sugar, and that’s why it’s so important we have to have a certain level of blood glucose. However, as we get keto-adapted, when we start to utilize ketones as an energy source, the brain gets much more effective and efficient, and it needs less of the sugar. 

And that’s important because sugar produces a lot more metabolic waste. And so when the brain is using ketones, there is going to be less free radical damage and what we call oxidative stress in the brain, so less damage being associated with the various neurons in the brain therefore better connection, better communication.

He shares that ketones are epigenetic influencers and improve neuron sensitivity thereby improving neurotransmitter production:

Ketones act to induce healthy genetic expression. They’re epigenetic influencers where they actually influence the brain to promote more BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic growth factor), which helps grow more neurons and more synapses (little gaps between the neurons). They help produce more neurotransmitters and really optimize the expression of these neurotransmitters to where we get good sensitivity between the neurons.

So when the neurons secrete serotonin, the next neuron is able to actually connect with that very easily and realize “hey, this is the message that we need to get across.”

Dr. Jockers then goes into the relationship between GABA and glutamate and how the ketogenic diet improves the ability of glutamate converting into GABA:

There is a relationship between glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Glutamate naturally converts into GABA when certain nutrients are present – like magnesium and vitamin B6 – along with a properly working GAD enzyme.

Now, when we have ketones present, they have been shown to improve the ability to convert glutamate into GABA.

Individuals with anxiety or obsessive compulsive [disorder] often have excessive amounts of glutamate, which can cause too much excitation in the brain and something called excitotoxicity that damages a whole bunch of different neurons, and causes massive neuronal death in parts of the brain. It can lead to symptoms like anxiety, headaches, migraines and seizures. The ketogenic diet has been shown in many studies to be a very powerful remedy for seizure disorders like epilepsy. That’s where this neuropharmacology of the ketogenic diet was analyzed in detail where they came up with the understanding that it impacts this glutamate to GABA conversion.

When we have adequate amounts of GABA and this proper relationship of glutamate to GABA, we feel very emotionally balanced and calm. We are able to fall asleep well. We have less pain in our body, and less susceptibility to headaches. In general, we just feel very emotionally balanced, and that’s what we’re going for.

Ketones are a huge help when it comes to that. When you’re in a state of ketosis, your natural feeling should be that you just feel awesome. You feel like a high performer. You feel at peace and you feel calm. That’s a sign that you’re in ketosis. If you are on a low carb ketogenic diet but you’re noticing irritability, anxiety and headaches, you’re actually not using the ketones. Your body is not actually keto-adapted. Instead, you’re in a hypoglycemic mode where your blood sugar is too low. You’re not using the ketones, and you’re getting exitotoxicity in your brain.

He goes on to share what a ketogenic diet should look like:

Avocados, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut flakes, coconut milk, grass-fed butter, so butter or ghee (which is clarified butter from grass-fed cows) olives, olive oil. You want at least one of those in every single meal and you want a lot of it in every single meal.

Dr. Jockers shares about how much protein to eat, what proteins to eat, what fruits and vegetables and how much to eat, how he cycles in and out of ketosis, how he uses intermittent fasting, his favorite supplements to support ketosis (magnesium threonate is one of them), his favorite adrenal adaptogens and much more.

I hope you can us join on The Mental Wellness Summit 2 summit  to hear Dr. Jockers and other excellent speakers.

I know they are referring to medications but I find it quite funny that the hosts say the “magic pill” solution is not the answer. As you’ll hear in my interview, the dangers of benzodiazepines and why GABA is a more effective option for anxiety, I believe that GABA (and tryptophan and the other amino acids) are truly “magic pill” solutions that help so many seeking relief while they dig deeper for other contributing root causes and start to make dietary changes, whether it’s switching to real whole foods, quitting gluten, removing all grains or implementing a ketogenic diet.

Registration details are here

And let us know if you’d like to learn more about the ketogenic diet.

Also let us know how the ketogenic diet has helped you.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: anxiety, calming, Dr. David Jockers, GABA, glutamate, Ketogenic diet, ketones, neurotransmitters

Primary Sidebar

FREE REPORT

9 Great Questions Women Ask about Food, Mood and their Health

You’ll also receive a complimentary subscription to my ezine “Food, Mood and Gal Stuff”

Success! Check your inbox for our email with a download link.

Connect with me

Recent Posts

  • 5-HTP for a calm brain, and a racing mind at night: questions and answers
  • Night eating syndrome: is low serotonin a root cause and is tryptophan a solution?
  • GABA for easing physical anxiety and tension: some questions and answers
  • Tryptophan calms comfort eating, eases self-doubt, reduces uncontrollable late night snacking and results in a lot more peace around food.
  • 5-HTP in Parkinson’s disease: benefits for depression, levodopa-induced motor complications, anxiety and sleep issues

Categories

  • 5-HTP
  • AB575
  • Addiction
  • ADHD
  • Adrenals
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Amino Acids
  • Antianxiety
  • Antianxiety Food Solution
  • Antidepressants
  • Anxiety
  • Anxiety and panic
  • Anxiety Summit 5
  • Anxiety Summit 6
  • Autism
  • Autoimmunity
  • benzodiazapines
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Books
  • Caffeine
  • Cancer
  • Candida
  • Children
  • Cooking equipment
  • Coronavirus/COVID-19
  • Cravings
  • Depression
  • Detoxification
  • Diabetes
  • Diet
  • Drugs
  • EFT/Tapping
  • EMF
  • EMFs
  • Emotional Eating
  • Environment
  • Essential oils
  • Events
  • Exercise
  • Fear of public speaking
  • Fertility and Pregnancy
  • Fish
  • Food
  • Food and mood
  • Functional neurology
  • GABA
  • Gene polymorphisms
  • General Health
  • Giving
  • Giving back
  • Glutamine
  • Gluten
  • GMOs
  • Gratitude
  • Gut health
  • Heart health
  • Histamine
  • Hormone
  • Immune system
  • Inflammation
  • Insomnia
  • Inspiration
  • Introversion
  • Joy and happiness
  • Ketogenic diet
  • Looking awesome
  • Lyme disease and co-infections
  • Medication
  • Mental health
  • Mercury
  • Migraine
  • Mold
  • Movie
  • MTHFR
  • Music
  • NANP
  • Nature
  • Nutritional Psychiatry
  • OCD
  • Oxalates
  • Oxytocin
  • Pain
  • Paleo
  • Parasites
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • People
  • Postpartum
  • PTSD
  • Pyroluria
  • Questionnaires
  • Real whole food
  • Recipes
  • Research
  • serotonin
  • SIBO
  • Sleep
  • Special diets
  • Stress
  • Sugar addiction
  • Sugar and mood
  • Supplements
  • Teens
  • Testimonials
  • Testing
  • The Anxiety Summit
  • The Anxiety Summit 2
  • The Anxiety Summit 3
  • The Anxiety Summit 4
  • Thyroid
  • Thyroid health
  • Toxins
  • Tryptophan
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegan/vegetarian
  • Women's health
  • Yoga

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • July 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • November 2009

Copyright © 2021 Trudy Scott. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy | Terms of Use | Refund Policy