Science Vs: The Keto Diet — Can It Supercharge Your Brain and Body?

Hosted by Spotify Studios, "Science Vs" delves into the science behind trending topics, separating fact from fiction. In the October 10, 2024 episode titled "The Keto Diet: Can It Supercharge Your Brain and Body?", host Wendi Zuckerman explores the multifaceted impacts of the ketogenic (keto) diet on both mental and physical health.

1. The Keto Diet Phenomenon

Introduction to Keto: Wendi Zuckerman opens the episode by highlighting the widespread popularity of the ketogenic diet, characterized by high fat intake and minimal carbohydrates. She notes its acclaim on social media, with claims ranging from enhanced weight loss to improved athletic performance and mental health benefits.

“People just love it. Wow, this is amazing. This is like a medication, but better.” — Wendi Zuckerman [00:01]

Scientific Endorsement: Neuroscientist Dom D'Agostino underscores the diet’s potential, suggesting its benefits could rival blockbuster medications.

“If a drug did everything that the ketogenic diet did, it would be an enormous blockbuster drug worth billions of dollars.” — Dom D'Agostino [00:55]

2. Personal Experiments and Initial Experiences

Host and Team Trials: Wendi and producer Caitlin Sorey embark on the keto diet alongside their editor, Blythe Terrell. Their initial enthusiasm quickly wanes as they confront the strict dietary restrictions, eliminating common carbohydrates and embracing high-fat foods like cheese, avocado, and nuts.

“No croissants, no pasta, no cake, no beer. You can't even eat much fruit. It's depressing.” — Wendi Zuckerman [02:10]

Early Challenges: The team shares humorous yet honest struggles, including craving high-carb snacks and adapting to a monotonous fat-centric diet.

“Eating all of this fat can mess around with the fat in your blood, potentially upping your cholesterol。” — Caitlin Sorey [03:25]

3. Scientific Insights: Keto and Brain Health

Keto’s Origins and Epilepsy Treatment: The keto diet was initially developed in the 1920s to treat epilepsy in children. Dom D'Agostino recounts his discovery of keto’s medical applications while researching seizure treatments.

“I spent two weeks just immersed in reading this research and realized that it was actually real.” — Dom D'Agostino [08:29]

Ketones as Brain Fuel: Cutting carbohydrates forces the body to produce ketones from fat, which the brain can use as an alternative energy source. This metabolic shift is believed to enhance neuronal communication and reduce seizures.

“I basically thought the brain could only use glucose for fuel, so this was completely new to me.” — Dom D'Agostino [09:30]

Mental Health Benefits: Dr. Shobani Sethi from Stanford Medical School explores the diet's potential in improving conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In her study involving 21 participants, over 79% showed significant psychiatric improvements.

“Over 79% of the participants, they had a clinically meaningful psychiatric improvement, according to the scales.” — Shobani Sethi [12:09]

Patient Testimonials: One notable case involved an engineer with schizophrenia who experienced reduced paranoia and hallucinations after adopting the keto diet.

“I would not be here today if it wasn't for keto.” — Patient in Shobani Sethi’s Study [12:31]

4. Weight Loss and Metabolic Health

Expert Perspective: Professor Louise Burke from Australian Catholic University discusses the keto diet’s effectiveness in weight loss. While some attribute success to metabolic changes or appetite suppression, Burke emphasizes that restricting food variety inherently leads to reduced calorie intake.

“The way that most people lose weight is that they eat fewer calories by restricting the number and range of foods that they can eat.” — Louise Burke [23:12]

Team Observations: The podcast team notes modest weight loss among themselves, attributing it to the elimination of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.

“We were throwing, like, Doritos in the trash and couldn’t have... low carb treats.” — Caitlin Sorey [23:44]

5. Athletic Performance: Hype vs. Reality

Elite Athlete Trials: Louise Burke investigates the keto diet’s impact on athletic performance by studying over 20 elite racewalkers. Contrary to popular claims, athletes on the keto diet underperformed compared to their carbohydrate-consuming counterparts.

“Ketogenic diet turned out to be a disaster for the performance of these athletes.” — Louise Burke [25:47]

Oxygen Utilization: Burning fat requires more oxygen than burning carbohydrates, putting keto athletes at a disadvantage during high-endurance events where every percentage counts.

“It's only about a 5% difference. But a 5% difference is really important for an athlete who's working at their limits.” — Louise Burke [26:24]

Research Confirmation: Further studies across various sports echoed similar findings, leading Burke to conclude that ketogenic diets do not enhance athletic performance.

“Ketogenic diets are not beneficial for athletic performance.” — Louise Burke [27:19]

6. Risks and Side Effects

Health Concerns: The keto diet is associated with potential side effects such as constipation, kidney stones, and altered blood lipid profiles. Although long-term studies indicate no increased heart attack risk, the overall impact remains inconclusive.

Personal Adverse Reactions: Blythe Terrell experienced menstrual irregularities, while her husband Jack developed severe allergic reactions upon reintroducing carbohydrates after a prolonged keto period. These cases highlight the diet’s capacity to disrupt hormonal and immune systems.

“Once Blythe went off the diet, my... period came back very suspicious.” — Caitlin Sorey [28:22]

“When he ate carbs, they were so itchy. He was waking up in the middle of the night and getting into the bath and filling it with oatmeal to soothe his skin.” — Caitlin Sorey [30:52]

Expert Insights: Dom D'Agostino explains that elimination diets like keto can lead to food sensitivities when foods are reintroduced too rapidly.

“Elimination diets, like the ketogenic diet, can cause food reactions if they are quickly reintroduced.” — Dom D'Agostino [32:11]

7. Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Balanced Perspective: Wendi Zuckerman concludes that while the ketogenic diet offers significant benefits for specific medical conditions like epilepsy and potentially schizophrenia, its effects on healthy individuals and athletes are limited or even detrimental. The diet’s profound impact on the body underscores the importance of consulting healthcare professionals before making drastic dietary changes.

“This diet is changing how your body is working, does open the door to the fact that it could change it for the worse.” — Wendi Zuckerman [33:17]

Cautionary Advice: The podcast advises listeners to approach the keto diet with caution, recognizing both its potential benefits and risks.

“Maybe be a little careful.” — Caitlin Sorey [34:03]

Conclusion

"The Keto Diet: Can It Supercharge Your Brain and Body?" offers a comprehensive examination of the ketogenic diet, blending personal narratives with scientific research. While keto shows promise in specific therapeutic contexts, its broader applications for cognitive enhancement, weight loss, and athletic performance remain contentious. The episode emphasizes the necessity of evidence-based approaches and professional guidance when considering significant dietary modifications.

For detailed references and further reading, listeners are directed to the show’s transcript available in the episode’s show notes.

Produced by Caitlin Sorey and Michelle Dang, with contributions from Wendi Zuckerman and the Science Vs team.