This observational study shows that a ketogenic diet improves brain metabolism and reduces atrophy in moderate-severe TBI patients, suggesting lasting effects.
Motivation: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) 1 . Goal(s): The goal of this study is to investigate the therapeutic potential of a ketogenic diet (KD)/modified Atkin's diet (MAD) in moderate-severe TBI patients when given during inpatient rehabilitation. Approach: We used ¹H-MRS and structural T1 weighted MRI to quantify the effects of short-term KD/MAD therapy on brain metabolism and volume. Results: Our results demonstrate improved neuronal metabolism and reduced regional brain atrophy at 6 months suggesting the benefits of KD/MAD outlast the duration of the diet. Impact: This study provides a first look at the effect of short-term KD/MAD on brain structure and metabolism following moderate-severe TBI, showing that its effects outlast the duration of the diet.
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Olson et al. (2025) studied this question.
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