Ketogenic therapies in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment: An integrative review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ketogenic therapies, including coconut oil supplementation, in improving cognitive and motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment.
Results Summary
Coconut oil was used as part of a Mediterranean diet supplementation and showed cognitive improvements, though results were variable and adherence was problematic. MCT supplements, including coconut oil, demonstrated cognitive benefits after 6 months of use.
Population
Patients with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
6 months for MCT supplements
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ketogenic therapies | decrease | seizure reduction | epilepsy | - | have shown benefit for seizure reduction | #1 |
ketogenic diet | increase | motor function | Parkinson's disease (PD) | - | did show significant improvement | #2 |
ketogenic diet | increase | cognition | MCI and AD groups | - | showed a non-significant trend towards improvement | #3 |
Mediterranean diet | increase | cognitive measures | MCI and AD groups | - | showed statistically significant improvements | #4 |
modified Adkins diet | increase | cognitive measures | MCI and AD groups | - | showed statistically significant improvements | #5 |
low-carbohydrate diet | increase | cognitive measures | MCI and AD groups | - | showed statistically significant improvements | #6 |
Axona and AC-1202 compounds | no change | cognition | AD and MCI groups | - | showed no significant improvement | #7 |
Most MCT supplements | increase | cognition | AD and MCI groups | - | did show cognitive improvements | #8 |
ketogenic therapies | increase | symptom improvement | PD, AD, and MCI | - | have promise for symptom improvement | #9 |
BACKGROUND: Ketogenic therapies have shown benefit for seizure reduction in epilepsy but their impact on other neurologic conditions is less known. In this literature review, the efficacy of ketogenic therapies were assessed in Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar focusing on ketogenic therapies in PD, AD, and MCI. RESULTS: A total of 2565 records were identified with a total of 15 studies (3 for PD and 12 for MCI/AD) meeting criteria for analysis. The ketogenic diet was used in all the PD studies and did show significant improvement in motor function either through vocal quality, gait, freezing, tremor, and/or balance. A variety of ketogenic therapies were utilized in the MCI and AD groups including a ketogenic diet, low-carbohydrate diet, modified Adkins diet, Mediterranean diet with coconut oil supplementation, a ketogenic diet with a ketogenic medium chain triglyceride (kMCT) supplement, as well as ketogenic supplements including a ketogenic drink with kMCT, oral ketogenic compounds (Axona and AC-1202), and MCT oil or emulsion. The ketogenic diet independently showed a non-significant trend towards improvement in cognition. The Mediterranean diet, modified Adkins diet, and low-carbohydrate diet showed statistically significant improvements in some, although not all, of their cognitive measures. Use of ketogenic supplements, drinks, or compounds showed variable results in the AD and MCI groups. The Axona and AC-1202 compounds showed no significant improvement in cognition at the end of their respective 90-day trials. Most MCT supplements did show cognitive improvements, although only after 6 months of adherence. Adherence to the intervention was problematic in most of the diet studies. CONCLUSION: Ketogenic therapies have promise in PD, AD, and MCI for symptom improvement although larger studies are needed to support their implementation in clinical practice.