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Ketogenic interventions in mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and critical appraisal

J. L. Bohnen, R. Albin, N. Bohnen

Frontiers in Neurology, 2023

41 citations

Abstract

Background There is increasing interest in therapeutic ketosis as a potential therapy for neurodegenerative disorders–in particular, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD)–following a proof-of-concept study in Parkinson's disease published in 2005. Methods To provide an objective assessment of emerging clinical evidence and targeted recommendations for future research, we reviewed clinical trials involving ketogenic interventions in mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease reported since 2005. Levels of clinical evidence were systematically reviewed using the American Academy of Neurology criteria for rating therapeutic trials. Results 10 AD, 3 MCI, and 5 PD therapeutic ketogenic trials were identified. Respective grades of clinical evidence were objectively assessed using the American Academy of Neurology criteria for rating therapeutic trials. We found class “B” evidence (probably effective) for cognitive improvement in subjects with mild cognitive impairment and subjects with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease negative for the apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOε4-). We found class “U” evidence (unproven) for cognitive stabilization in individuals with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease positive for the apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOε4+). We found class “C” evidence (possibly effective) for improvement of non-motor features and class “U” evidence (unproven) for motor features in individuals with…

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