Diets, like clothes, are fashionable at times and unstylish at others. Almost all nutritional experts today agree that the Mediterranean diet that focuses on the traditional cuisines of Greece, Italy, Israel and other countries that border the Mediterranean Sea and recommends plant-based foods such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices – there have been many others that have taken hold in the public. 

One is the ketogenic diet is – a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.

Normally carbohydrates in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is important in fueling brain function. But if little carbohydrate remains in the diet, the liver turns fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies, which pass into the brain and replacing glucose as an energy source. 

A high level of ketone bodies in the blood (ketosis) eventually lowers the frequency of epileptic seizures. Around half of children and young people with epilepsy who have tried some form of this diet noticed that the number of seizures drop by at least half, and the effect persists after discontinuing the diet.  Some evidence shows that adults with epilepsy may benefit from the diet and that a less strict regimen, such as a modified Atkins diet, is similarly effective. Side effects may include constipation, high cholesterol, growth slowing, acidosis and kidney stones. 

While both Atkins and the ketogenic are both low-carb diets that may benefit weight loss, diabetes management, epilepsy and heart health, the main difference is that you gradually increase your carb intake on Atkins, while it remains very low on the keto diet, allowing your body to stay in ketosis and burn ketones for energy.

The diet has been used as a treatment in Israel and around the world for a century among children with epilepsy, while in recent years, the ketogenic diet has become popular among those who want to lose weight. It is important to note that, due to the significant nutritional restrictions, it is necessary to consult with a professional such as a doctor or a registered dietitian.

Now, the keto diet has been suggested by Israeli researchers and colleagues abroad for reducing the effects of brain damage after traumatic injury. The diet was found in a mouse study by Tel Aviv University (TAU) neuroscientists and clinical dietitians to improve spatial memory and visual memory, reduce brain inflammation, cause less neuronal death and slow down the rate of cellular aging. 

The new international study was led by Prof. Chaim Pick, director of the Sylvan Adams Sports Institute and a member of the Sagol School of Neuroscience, and doctoral. student Meirav Har-Even Kerzhner, a registered dietitian and brain researcher, both from TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine. The findings were published in Scientific Reports, a syndicate journal from the publishers of Nature, under the title “Ketogenic Diet as a potential treatment for traumatic brain injury in mice.” 

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and long-term disability in the developed world. In an average year, about 10 million people worldwide suffer from traumatic brain injury as a result of head injuries caused by a hard object, a blow, an explosion, road accidents, sports injuries and the like. Despite the high frequency of brain injuries, there is currently no proven effective treatment that can help those suffering from this injury.

Such traumas can lead to physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional damage and is also a risk factor for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Har-Even Kerzhner noted that a ketogenic diet aims to mimic a state of fasting and can be continued for extended periods of time. 

 In the study, conducted on model animals, the researchers identified that the ketogenic diet greatly improves brain function. For this purpose, the researchers used advanced methods that included, among others, behavioral-cognitive tests, biochemical tests and immunohistochemical cell staining (a technique in biology for the detection and placement of proteins in a cross section of tissue). 

The mechanism by which a ketogenic diet succeeds in benefiting the results of brain damage has not yet been fully revealed, but studies show that it has an antioxidant and metabolic effect on mitochondria (essential organelles in the cell whose primary function is energy production and respiration), lowers free radical production and raises ATP (a major molecule in cellular biochemical channels).  

 “The findings were unequivocal and showed that the ketogenic diet improves spatial memory and visual memory, lowers indices of inflammation in the brain and in addition, also slows the rate of cellular aging,” asserted Pick. “These results may open the door to further research that will inspire hope for those suffering from traumatic brain injuries, and their family members.”