By Mary T. Newport, M.D.

April 22, 2018

The Keto Reboot 60-hour and tools to carry it out were introduced to the Pruvit Community at Epik in January 2018.  Around the same time, a scientific review came out supporting this idea, written by researchers at the National Institute on Aging and supported with 189 references (1).

Lead author, Mark Mattson, Ph.D., and others have done extensive research on the effects of fasting and exercise on brain aging. These effects were also summarized in an excellent 2014 Ted talk (that can be viewed here) (2). In this talk, Dr. Mattson reminds us that fasting was a way of life for humans. Until recently, in our evolution, our neural systems have evolved to be more active during fasting—very literally we need to be able to go out and look for food.  Ketone levels increase quickly as we deplete the stored glucose in our livers. This happens after about ten to fourteen hours of fasting, sans exercise or sooner if we do. Thereafter, we turn to the energy stored in our bodies as fat. Dr. Mattson says fasting is a challenge to the brain, and it responds by activating stress response pathways that help cope with this stress and resist disease.

Dr. Mattson’s 2018 article details the many metabolic pathways affected by fasting.  He introduces the concept of “intermittent metabolic switching” and explains how different signaling pathways are enlisted when switching from glucose to ketones as the primary fuel, and again when switching back. He also explains how some cells, such as muscle and neurons, go into “cell preservation mode” by activating signaling pathways in response to switching from glucose to ketones as fuel. This sets the stage for the recovery period when these cells adopt a “cell-growth mode” as the fuel source is switched back to glucose. For example, muscle cells do not grow during exercise, but rather during the recovery period after. This is the result of the interaction between numerous biochemical pathways that are either activated or turned off, depending on the prevailing level of ketones and glucose.

Dr. Mattson says switching between short periods of negative energy balance through a short fast and/or exercise and positive energy balance can “optimize general health and brain health”, including improved insulin sensitivity, reduced abdominal fat, maintenance of muscle mass, reducing blood pressure, and lower resting heart rate.  It is important to note that for some of the outcomes, the best results may come from not only an increase in ketone levels but also from a significant reduction in glucose levels1.

Although there are many beneficial effects of changing signaling pathways during a metabolic switch from glucose to ketones, we can’t list them all and the comprehensive article does it justice! The Keto Reboot 60-hour is a great way to make the most of intermittent fasting, with support from KETO//OS® Max, KETO//KALM™, BETTER//BROTH™, all containing the ketone betahydroxybutyrate, and DNA repair supplement SIGNAL//OS™, that will maximize ketone levels and support the metabolic pathways affected by ketones.

References

1. Mattson M P, K Moehl, N Ghena, et al. Intermittent metabolic switching, neuroplasticity and brain health. Neuroscience. Vol. 19 (2018): 63-80. Doi: 10.1038/nrn.2017.156
2. Mattson M P. 2014 TedxJohns Hopkins University Talk. YouTube.com at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UkZAwKoCP8