All of the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease directly impact mitochondria. The ketogenic diet stimulates autophagy, which is kind of a general repair process for old damaged cell parts. And then it also stimulates a process called mitochondrial biogenesis that means your cells will actually have more mitochondria and those mitochondria will be healthier after you've done the ketogenic diet.
Christopher Palmer, MD, is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For over 27 years he’s held administrative, educational, research, and clinical roles in psychiatry. His new book, Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More, is out now.