Your Brain Doesn’t Need 130 Grams of Carbs A Day

A favorite argument of detractors of low-carb diets is that they don’t provide sufficient glucose for the brain to function. You’ve probably heard some well-meaning person say, “You need to eat 130 grams of carbs a day for proper brain function.”

Fortunately, this is not true. Just think how much trouble our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have been in if brain function was compromised every time carbs were scarce. A daily intake of 130 grams of carbs is no small feat when you don’t have a local grocery store stocked with bread, cereal, and chips for your convenience.

This widespread misconception is based on a misunderstanding of the brain’s fuel needs.

The Brain's Fuel Needs

The brain requires about 50 grams of glucose a day, but this doesn’t need to come from dietary carbs. The brain can get the rest of the energy it requires from ketones, a byproduct of fat metabolism.

It works like this. The body can get glucose from three sources other than dietary carbs:

1. Glycerol, produced from dietary fat or fat tissue in the body
2. Lactate and pyruvate, produced from glycolysis
3. Amino acids, produced from protein

These substrates go to the liver where it turns them into glucose via the process known as gluconeogenesis. The glucose then travels via the blood to the brain where it uses it for energy.

The rest of the energy the brain requires is derived from ketones. Ketones are produced when insulin levels are low due to carb restriction or low calorie intake. Fatty acids travel to the liver, which turns them into ketones that can be used for energy in cells to produce ATP.

Brain Benefits of Ketones

When the brain uses ketones for energy brain function improves. This is the reason that ketogenic diets are used to treat brain disorders. Ketones may have an anti-aging effect as well, protecting the brain from cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s.

An adult’s brain will only use ketones for energy if glucose is not sufficiently available. This doesn’t mean that using ketones is “bad.” In fact, there is evidence that ketones are the preferred energy source for the brain. However, it is uncommon for both ketones and glucose to be available at the same time. The liver won’t produce ketones unless blood sugar (and insulin) levels are low.

Studies show that when both ketones and glucose are present in the body, ketones enter the brain and brain glucose uptake decreases accordingly. This decrease in brain glucose uptake when both ketones and glucose are available supports the notion that ketones are the brain’s preferred fuel.

Brain Fuel For Babies

Another indicator of the benefit of ketosis is its vital role in normal human development: Well-fed infants maintain a constant state of elevated blood ketone levels, suggesting that there are brain benefits from having ketones present.

Anti-Aging Benefits of Ketones

The ketogenic diet was first designed as a therapeutic approach to treat epilepsy—a brain disorder that can be managed when carbs are severely restricted to less than 20 grams a day. Protein intake is around 1 g/kg/bw with the rest of the calories coming from fat. Emerging research has shown the ketogenic diet can be beneficial in treating cancer, obesity, diabetes, brain injuries, and neurodegeneration.

A ketogenic diet appears to have anti-aging benefits for the brain. As people age, a couple of things happen to the brain that contribute to cognitive decline:

First, we experience a decrease in blood flow to the brain.

Second, the brain is less effective at using glucose for energy.

Finally, inflammation develops, neurons die off, and brain size decreases.

Scientists believe that restricting carbs in favor of a keto diet may reduce these negative effects while supporting brain function.

Should You Try A Keto Diet?

To try a ketogenic diet to protect your brain, here a few things to consider:

Keto diets require an adaptation period that lasts 1 to 2 weeks. Depending on your metabolic state going in, this phase can be uncomfortable. People report a foggy brain, flu-like symptoms, and low energy during the adaptation process. These will go away once the body gets its metabolic machinery up to par.

You don’t have to adopt a keto diet for the rest of your life. Trying if for a short time may be beneficial. That said, it’s not something you can use intermittently. It takes a bit of time for ketone levels to increase sufficiently so that the body will start burning them.

The general ratio for a ketogenic diet is 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrates. However, these can be modified based on individual needs and goals. For the initial adaptation phase, carbs likely need to be below 50 grams a day, preferably from low-glycemic vegetables and select fruits, such as berries or other low-carb fruit.

Final Words

Finding the ideal diet for you is an individual process. If eating a keto diet is on the agenda, there's no need to worry about your brain, it will be fine without a daily influx of carbs.