Posted on 10/12/2025 9:55:22 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A new study reveals that following a low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diet can measurably lower levels of brain chemicals that, when too high, are linked to inflammation and memory problems.
The study followed a cohort of patients with an early-stage fatty liver disease. The study participants adopted a low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diet for just two weeks and then were screened to see if their brain metabolism markers had improved.
"We found that reducing liver fat through short-term dietary changes also lowered levels of certain brain metabolites that can signal inflammation and neurotoxicity when elevated," said Andreana P. Haley.
"Nearly all participants with early-stage liver disease improved, suggesting that diet may protect brain as well as liver health."
The liver condition, known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is the most common chronic liver disease globally. It is often linked with cognitive symptoms such as reduced attention and impaired executive function, including trouble organizing daily activities or losing track of tasks.
These symptoms can be caused by changes in brain metabolism linked to higher-than-normal levels of neurometabolites such as cerebral glutamate and myo-inositol.
In the study, participants with MASLD underwent a health screening and brain and liver MRI imaging before being randomly assigned to follow either a low-calorie or a low-carbohydrate diet. After two weeks on the diet, respondents were screened again to assess whether the dietary change had lowered their levels of liver fat and neurometabolites.
The researchers found that 97% of the participants with MASLD experienced a decrease in liver fat, 77% experienced a decrease in glutamate, and 70% experienced a decrease in myo-inositol.
"We were struck by how quickly the brain responded," said Haley. "In just two weeks, we saw measurable improvements in brain metabolites, something that had only been speculated about before."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Sometimes, help is just a few weeks away.
38% of all adults have fatty liver issues.
Bump for later
I’ve heard nothing but good things about low carb diets.
Not to be confused with NO carb diets.
The long and short of it is..... eat real food.
not sure how realistic a NO carb diet, but low is good. I aim for less than 50 daily
I’ll be the first to admit that I love sugary drinks, cookies, candy, etc., but the fact of the matter is that if you *completely* cut out all the crap for a month... you’ll likely feel a lot better, sleep a lot better, think a lot better, etc. etc.
If you’re a kid, you can get probably get away with eating junk without doing much damage.
If you’re middle-aged, you probably can’t. Folks sometimes point to Warren Buffett who’s 95 and guzzles a half-dozen Cherry Cokes per day, eats at McDonald’s and munches on See’s Candy (which he owns). But Warren is an outlier.
Outlier Trump, too.
Eat real WHOLE foods. Don’t eat anything from a box or a bag. Stay away from “white” foods such as sugars, rice, potatoes, and wheats. Eat whole fruits.
And finally, try to fast for at least 24 hours once a month. The human body is not designed to constantly be digesting food. Give your body a chance to repair itself by forgoing food for a day, and you’ll feel substantially better. The hardest part is between hours 16-20. After that you feel lighter, sharper, and calmer.
I burned off 80 pounds of fat in 2019, the “low carb” is kind of a red herring. It is certainly an angle of attack for effective weight loss.
What we are always and ever really talking about when burning off pounds is calorie restriction, to lose weight. There is no way around this. What worked for me was one meal a day. In fact I still practice this routine for the most part.
By way of automotive analogy, I liken it to running an engine a little “lean”, or the correct air/fuel ratio. Our bodies have an amazing ability to repair, if given the opportunity. Burn off all the sludge, many people report increased clarity of thinking, better sleep, and increased energy during an effective weight loss program and usually right away. “Carb fog” is a thing. If someone sticks with a sensible amount of calories, he will naturally gravitate towards a lower carb intake. They taste too good to completely eliminate is my observation.
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[[I’ll be the first to admit that I love sugary drinks, cookies, candy, etc., but the fact of the matter is that if you *completely* cut out all the crap for a month... you’ll likely feel a lot better, sleep a lot better, think a lot better, etc. etc.]]
Meh- i did for almost 4 months- went on an elemental diet where all i had was predigested nutrients in drink form- it was tough cutting out all food, but i stuck with it- desperate times call for desperate attempts- but to no avail-
Thank you. I need to get this imprinted on my brain.
Bkmk
There is apparently no control arm to the study, so the results could be just the result of the patients knowing that they were being monitored, and not having the opportunity to overfeed. A control arm featuring a “normal” diet (neither low calorie nor lo carb) would probably have produced the same result.
So you believe eating in a way to get MASLD could reduce inflammatory markers in the brain and also reduce liver fat?
I haven’t heard that, before.
Could you point me to any study suggesting that? It would be helpful to others, here.
I’ve been on a low-carb diet for years, with several days of fasting each week.
I don’t remember having any memory problems since I started.
I don’t remember having any memory problems since I started.
Maybe that’s because your memory isn’t so good. ;)
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