Decades of research have revealed that brain glucose absorption is impaired in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), even before symptoms of cognitive decline appear. Glucose, derived from ingested carbohydrates, is the primary fuel used by the brain. However, individuals with AD have a decreased ability to use the glucose that is available.
Ketones – derived from fatty acids in the diet and body fat – are an alternative fuel source for the brain, and one that seems to work better in an Alzheimer’s brain than glucose.
