title: Biochemical effect of a ketogenic diet on the brains of obese adult rats.
abstract: Excess weight, particularly abdominal obesity, can cause or exacerbate cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Obesity is also a proven risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Various studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of a ketogenic diet (KD) in weight reduction and in modifying the disease activity of neurodegenerative disorders, including AD. Therefore, in this study we examined the metabolic and neurodegenerative changes associated with obesity and the possible neuroprotective effects of a KD in obese adult rats. Compared with obese rats fed a control diet, obese rats fed a KD showed significant weight loss, improvement in lipid profiles and insulin resistance, and upregulation of adiponectin mRNA expression in adipose tissue. In addition, the KD triggered significant downregulation of brain amyloid protein precursor, apolipoprotein E and caspase-3 mRNA expression, and improvement of brain oxidative stress responses. These findings suggest that a KD has anti-obesity and neuroprotective effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Sharkia Gov., Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hoda E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Sahar E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: El-Swefy
authors.forename: Leila A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rashed
authors.forename: Sally K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Abd El-Latif
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D055423:Diet, Ketogenic / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*