Abstract
Background: A carbohydrate-restricted diet aimed at lowering insulin levels has the potential to slow Alzheimer's disease (AD). Restricting carbohydrate consumption reduces insulin resistance, which could improve glucose uptake and neural health. A hallmark feature of AD is widespread cortical thinning; however, no study has demonstrated that lower net carbohydrate (nCHO) intake is linked to attenuated cortical atrophy in patients with AD and confirmed amyloidosis. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that individuals with AD and confirmed amyloid burden eating a carbohydrate-restricted diet have thicker cortex than those eating a moderate-to-high carbohydrate diet. Methods: A total of 31 patients (mean age 71.4±7.0 years) with AD and confirmed amyloid burden were divided into two groups based on a 130 g/day nCHO cutoff. Cortical thickness was estimated from T1-weighted MRI using FreeSurfer. Cortical surface analyses were corrected for multiple comparisons using cluster-wise probability. We assessed group differences using a two-tailed two-independent sample t-test. Linear regression analyses using nCHO as a continuous variable, accounting for confounders, were also conducted. Results: The lower nCHO group had significantly thicker cortex within somatomotor and visual networks. Linear regression analysis revealed that lower nCHO intake levels had a significant association with cortical thickness within the frontoparietal, cingulo-opercular, and visual networks. Conclusions: Restricting carbohydrates may be associated with reduced atrophy in patients with AD. Lowering nCHO to under 130 g/day would allow patients to follow the well-validated MIND diet while benefiting from lower insulin levels.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 329-342 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Alzheimer's Disease |
Volume | 96 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 24 2023 |
Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease
- amyloid
- atrophy
- carbohydrate-restricted
- carbohydrates
- cerebral cortical thinning
- cognitive dysfunction
- diet
- magnetic resonance imaging