Nicole Laurent, LMHC
@KetoCounselor
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I am a mental health counselor that helps people explore metabolic therapies like the ketogenic diet for brain health. Not medical advice.
Joined October 2021
I don't know who needs to hear this, but ketogenic diets as a treatment for mental illness is an evidence-based intervention. And if you work in mental health as a counselor, or an adjunctive medical field, it is imperative you learn how to implement or support it.
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Keto is used as an important part of most cancer treatments. Maybe it should be used before cancer develops. And maybe it could be useful in encouraging prevention.
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but vitamins and minerals are required for your brain to function. Let's do a thread on the research done on prison populations. What do you think happens when they are given multivitamins and other essential nutrients? 🧵(1/21).
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Ketogenic diets are mitochondrial interventions that affect brain and body metabolism. This is why it improves so many conditions that do not seem to be related. It is the ultimate root-cause intervention. #chronicillness #metabolism #mitochondria #brainenergy.
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If over 80% of 27 human studies reported a favorable effect of ketogenic diets on cognition why are we still telling people with recurrent and chronic brain fog to eat more blueberries and play brain games? Can we get a media outlet to report on this, please? 🧵.
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"Many neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder are characterized by cerebral glucose hypometabolism, 🧵.
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Certain neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression have areas of decreased glucose metabolism in the brain. The use of a ketogenic diet can assist in restoring brain energy levels.🧠.
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you use a #ketogenic diet to treat #mentalillness, there is a very good chance that your condition will improve. (1/3).
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Why do we need seniors to have access to a ketogenic diet to help ward off dementia? Because telling them to eat more fish and blueberries is woefully insufficient! Think I am making this up? I am not. It's time for a thread on a recent study. 🧵 (1/19).
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According to this meta-analysis pulling data from 24 studies, the ketogenic diet as a lifestyle intervention is the most effective & practical treatment for metabolic syndrome.
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I cannot find a historical parallel for what the @MDHealthDept has done. It is such a slap in the face to science, it basically has never been done before except by dictators and regimes. Think I am exaggerating? Keep reading. ⬇️ (1/18).
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Can eating a ketogenic diet improve symptoms of serious mental illness? Yes. Yes it can. And once again, I am not just making this up. 🧵(1/5).
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If you are a doctor warning people away from a ketogenic diet because of concerns about heart health, I don't know what research you are even reading at this point! Let me turn you on to a branch of the lit you may not be aware of. Keep reading. ⬇️ (1/17).
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Ketogenic diets are a very helpful therapeutic alternative in treating arthritis. And this is good news for brain health. When you reduce body inflammation you reduce your neuroinflammation. #arthritis #keotgenic #neuroinflammation.
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Research in metabolic psychiatry is blowing up! What's on the horizon? I will tell you just a few! (1/21).
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Here is a thread discussing why the @MDHealthDept 's decision to shut down the ketogenic diet study after people had already been enrolled is a breach in ethics deserving of the attention of their state ethics board. (1/14).
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but .Ketogenic Diets can have positive impacts on anxiety disorders. How? I will tell you. ⬇️ (1/8).
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Ketogenic diets produce lots of ketone bodies. Ketone bodies constrain glutamate production. This reduces the amount of kynurenic acid produced. And that's good for your brain health. (1/2).
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Can a professional in #neurology please explain to me why we don't put people on ketogenic diets post-stroke to help their recovery? (1/4).
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#Ketogenic diets are not a fad. We know more about the effects of the ketogenic diet on the brain than any other dietary intervention. Including #Mediterranean diet, #vegan and vegetarian diet. We know it best for its effects on the #brain.
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Magnesium is a mineral that is highly abundant in the human body and is considered the second most abundant mineral hanging out in your intracellular spaces. 🧵 (1/11).
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Health professionals telling everyone that lowering carbs is bad for the thyroid really just need to knock it off. That assertion was always theoretical, and now data is coming in that really shows the opposite, with hard markers and everything. Prepare for a thread. ⬇️ (1/11).
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Decades of neuroscience research on the ketogenic diet have shown that it:.- changes neurotransmitter systems .- decreases brain inflammation.- alters calcium channel regulation.- improves mitochondrial function.- increases mitochondrial biogenesis (1/13).
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When we put people with Diabetes on a low-carb diet, their depression gets a lot better. This intervention has been proven to be successfully administered remotely with this population. 👇(1/4).
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Some people think ketogenic diets are restrictive and that any kind of restriction is bad. But I think we need a short thread defining what food is and is not. 🧵(1/11).
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Would you like to know about a randomized crossover trial that used a modified #ketogenic diet in #Alzheimers disease? 1/9.
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Thanks to #ISBD2024 for allowing me to share my clinical work using ketogenic diets as a successful intervention for treatment resistant bipolar 2 disorder. 1/2 #bipolar #metabolicpsychiatry #ketogenic
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Of the 40–50 micronutrients required for human physiology, most can be found within the mitochondria, and many have recognized functions within mitochondrial metabolism. #mitochondria #nutrition.
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but #ketogenic diets help balance the neurotransmitter serotonin. I would argue that it is a lot better than medications. Because ketogenic diets balance several neurotransmitter systems at once without a lot of really uncool side effects.
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There are no less than 10 active trials going on investigating the use of ketogenic diets as a treatment for mental illness with a line up of investigators and institutions involved are no joke. Don't be left behind. Keep reading. 📖 (1/23).
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Guess what happened when @GeorgiaEdeMD, @ShebaniMD, and @IainCampbellPhD presented their data at the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Conference 2023? Stick around for a thread, and I will tell you. 🧵(1/9).
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A ketogenic diet is a powerful intervention for Panic Disorder, directly impacting four key mechanisms seen in this disorder pathology: glucose hypometabolism, neurotransmitter imbalances, inflammation, and oxidative stress. (1/9).
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Maybe we could just make sure everyone gets their Vitamin D level checked every time they get sent for labs? (1/6).
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I want you to understand that the ketone body BHB, produced on a ketogenic diet, is a powerful molecular signaling body. So settle in for a ridiculously long thread. 🧵 (1/27).
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Some of you are unclear about what a serious sign of cognitive decline actually looks like. So let's have a thread! 🧵(1/22).
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For those nervous, cautious, or still concerned about the ketogenic diet and the alleged creation of heart disease, I present this article that just came out. (1/14).
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Well this is seriously not cool. “Mild Cognitively Impaired participants treated with anti-[amyloid] drugs were projected to have a material regression toward brain volumes typical of Alzheimer’s dementia ~8 months earlier than if they were untreated.”.
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The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a crucial defense mechanism for the brain, regulating the exchange of molecules between the bloodstream and the brain. When the BBB is disrupted, it can have severe consequences for brain health. (1/12).
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A ketogenic diet is a powerful modulator of neurotransmitter imbalances seen in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), such as decreased GABA and increased glutamate, along with serotonin and dopamine dysfunctions. (1/9).
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I think it's time for you to understand how crucial zinc is for your mood and cognitive functioning. Even an insufficiency is a problem. So let's have a thread! 🧵(1/20).
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Is the field of Metabolic Psychiatry new and emerging? Actually no. There has been a long history of metabolism being known to play a role in mental illness. #metabolicpsychiatry #mentalillness (1/12).
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There was a study involving 19 adults following a low-carbohydrate (CHO) diet for 4 weeks. What did they find? Keep reading. I am happy to tell you. 🧵(1/16).
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No reports of blindness using a ketogenic diet. Just saying.
It’s easier to just eat keto or carnivore if you want to lose weight.
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If you work in the mental health field and do not understand the term metabolic psychiatry you are in for a treat. Every mental health professional practicing at every level will need to gain competence in this to do right by their patients.
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Did you know that the ketogenic diet is a promising therapeutic intervention for MDD and other psychiatric disorders? And that it works by targeting the mitochondrial dysfunction central to these conditions. 🧵(1/12).
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you are still looking at LDL scores as a marker to determine heart disease risk, your need to update your education. (1/3) #doctors #MD #physicians.
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What are the brain changes we see with a #ketogenic diet? This thread will refer to a published paper on #bipolar, but I want you to understand that any mental illness or neurological disorder will benefit from these changes. 1/13.
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Ketogenic diets have neurotransmitter-balancing effects. Let's do a short thread on one of my fav NTs called GABA. 🧵.
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If you are a medical professional warning people from saturated fat and, as a result, a ketogenic diet, I want you to know you have no evidence base for this assertion. (1/3)
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The effects of a ketogenic diet on immune function is one of the mechanisms by which it improves brain health. A healthy immune system protects the brain and reduces neuroinflammation. Brain immunology is a thing we don't talk about enough. 🧵.
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Some of you are new to the concept of a ketogenic diet. A ketogenic diet is a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. This diet triggers the metabolic fasting state of the body. Here is a mini intro to the biochemistry involved. 🧵(1/17).
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I don't usually tweet about cholesterol, but some of you are terrified to try a ketogenic diet as a treatment for mental illness or neurological symptoms because somebody told you it will raise your cholesterol and you will ruin your heart health. 🧵(1/5).
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Can we just sit here for a moment and soak in that this happend at the Mayo Clinic? #metabolicpsychiatry.
Ian Campbell, BMus (Hons), PhD presents, "Metabolic Psychiatry: A Pilot Study of a Ketogenic Diet for Bipolar Disorder." Dr. Campbell will discuss metabolic, metabolomics, psychiatric, & MRI Outcomes of a #ketogenic diet. #BipolarDisorder
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Ketogenic diet for mental illness has trickled down into psychology YouTube!.@Metabolic_Mind @ChrisPalmerMD she talks about your book, @janellison .@GeorgiaEdeMD she mentions your study! And she is not talking smack she is totally educating. And this is a channel wit 2 million.
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These #ketone bodies can enter the #brain and work to fight toxins, balance neurotransmitters, and reduce #inflammation. SO promising for those suffering from #psychiatric disorders, which are often associated with metabolic dysfunction.
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Done teaching my CEU, and just like that there are 15 more mental health professionals in the world that understand how to support patients using ketogenic diets as a treatment for mental illness. 🎓🎉🧠.
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"When mitochondria don’t function properly, neither does the brain.
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When you switch to a ketogenic diet, you unleash a cascade of positive changes throughout your body. 🧠💪✨ (1/9).
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This is a visual of all the things a ketogenic diet can do for a brain. I am still waiting for somebody to show me a pharmaceutical (used on or off label) or a combo of pharma that reliably does all this without concerning side effects. #waiting
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This baby is building their brain while they sleep with that wonderful, stable saturated fat! Lucky, sweet baby.
This works for all ages btw. Send this to anyone you know struggling with #Insomnia or bad sleep in general!
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Anybody who is paying even the slightest attention knows that ketogenic diets (KD) can have positive effects on neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders. (1/7).
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Zinc is a vital trace element that plays a crucial role in our overall health and super important for brain health. Let's learn what we know about it's role in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative processes. Shall we? (1/23).
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If you have autoimmunity and your medical provider has not gotten all up in your business about the amount of glucose you are taking in as part of your diet, then they are missing the boat, and you are missing your chance at healing. 🧵 (1/30).
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Because metabolic health IS mental health, we are going to break down this study in which the ketogenic diet just handed the Dash diet its ass. (Yes, I talk like this in real life). 🧵 (1/22).
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Can somebody please tell me why addiction professionals and treatment centers aren't utilizing the powerful effects ketogenic diets can have in stabilizing reward systems in the treatment of Substance Use Disorders? 🤷 (1/4) #SUD.
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Have you ever heard of glutamate excitotoxicity? No? Well, settle in for a thread. You're going to need to know about this fascinating (and slightly scary) topic that's essential to understanding brain health. 🧵 (1/30).
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If you are a mental health professional warning someone away from doing a ketogenic diet as a treatment for mental illness by telling them it will give them a heart attack, you assertion has no basis in the research literature, and you are therefore practicing unethically. 1/14.
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The Ketogenic Diet: A Powerful Molecular Signaling Therapy for the Brain
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I think we need to talk about how a ketogenic diet acts as a primary redox therapy, but nobody is talking about it that way. But they totally should! 🧵 (1/20).
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Yes, think of ketones as neural network stabilizers.
Ketones exhibit robust effects in restabilizing brain networks. 🧵1/9
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What was a surprising benefit of your ketogenic diet you didn't expect?.
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The experimental, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial involved 231 participants. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in antisocial behaviors among those who received the active supplements. (3/21).
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A 3-week RCT done by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that a ketogenic diet could reduce the need for detox medications, reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and reduce #alcohol cravings. (1/4).
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Once upon a time (not very long ago) The Cleveland Clinic conducted a retrospective study where women with PCOS followed a ketogenic diet for at least three months. All participants restored regular menstrual cycles, and 55.6% of those desiring pregnancy conceived, with higher.
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I have a blog about ketogenic diets for mental illness. Posting here in case you didn't know. Lots of primary sources in the references.
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Some of you are interested in metabolic psychiatry. And as such you are interested in different physiological markers used in research on brain metabolism. So, let's have a thread about Lactate. 🧵(1/19).
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I just have to say. Some of my patients that had normal fasting insulin and glucose levels responded the most from ketogenic diets. (1/4) #bipolar #MDD #Schizoaffective.
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Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a super important part of our diet, and it comes in two common forms: nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. 🧵(1/27).
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It's time for a thread about an important nutrient called selenium. And we are going to look at it's role and effect on Alzheimer's disease. Are you ready? (1/25).
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This is a really excellent article written by Lauren Ciccarelli and reviewed by Natasha Winters, ND, FABNO, on the Keto-Mojo website. Great to share with people to get the word out on all the ways people can feel better!.
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A lot of you are calling highly processed products "food". They are not food. They deplete more nutrients than they provide. They are drugs. They are designed to hijack your neurochemistry and make you crave them and buy them more. (2/11).
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Compared to the placebo, the active supplement group showed an average 26.3% fewer offences. For individuals taking active supplements for a minimum of two weeks, there was an average 35.1% reduction in offenses. ⬇️ (4/21).
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The decision of Maryland's Dept of Health to cancel the #ketogenic diet arm of the study while allowing the clozapine arm to continue raises significant ethical concerns. (1/8).
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Carnitine is an amino acid that can become depleted on a ketogenic diet. It's used to transport fatty acids into the #mitochondria. (1/4).
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I am planning on doing a thread on vitamin B3 niacin soon, so I wanted to introduce something called pellagra and give you a heads-up about what the subclinical form might look like. 🧵(1/15).
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Or at the very least learn about it so you don't do harm by talking someone out of trying it because of your own bias or ignorance. #mentalhealth #medical #metabolicpsychiatry #counselors #therapists #nutrtionists #doctors #nurses #psychiatrists #mds #addictiontreatment.
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Those of you who are sick of begging their doctor for a Vitamin D level, and then watching them do nothing about what is found, are going to really like this review paper that was just published. 1/14.
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Some of you have been on a keto diet for quite a while, and your ketone production has gone down. And yes, that is normal. Tissues adapt, and more are utilized. But it could also be that you have grown carnitine insufficient. (1/12).
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Heads up, cool kids!.Our latest case study, "Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy in the Remission of Chronic Major Depressive Disorder: A Retrospective Case Study," has been provisionally accepted for publication in Frontiers in Nutrition. Be the first to read it—sign up to be notified.
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Some of you are beginning to understand that to have a healthy brain that allows a good mood and rockin' cognitive function, you need to focus on mitochondrial function. Am I right? 🧵 (1/25).
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The time is really ripe for #metabolicpsychiatry .It was an honor to get to watch history unfold in the movement and see real progression towards what I believe will be more people getting to know all the ways they can feel better! (9/9).
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The current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for proteins (0.8 g/Kg Body Weight/day) is not sufficient for older persons. Period. And if anyone tells you differently, they haven't updated their nutrition knowledge in a really long time. (1/7).
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Cancer and cancer treatments are not great for brain health. So I am going to do a thread about how ketogenic diets can be helpful in some cancer treatments. 🧵(1/18) #cancer #ketosis #ketogenicdiet.
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The struggling brain is already trying to shift to ketones for fuel. (1/4).
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Dementia is a major public health challenge, affecting around 55 million people worldwide. Unfortunately, it's expected that the number of people living with dementia will increase by 50% over the next decade. (1/10).
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Insulin resistance (IR) is linked to various conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity & neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's). The ketogenic diet (KD) helps treat these disorders.🍽️ (1/13).
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