So what is all the fuss about ketogenesis and intermittent fasting and why is NASA interested?
There are so many documented benefits to intermittent fasting nowadays it’s almost hard to talk about them all. From the obvious benefit of helping to lose weight, to improved cognitive function, reduced inflammation and more energy, the benefits are numerous
What is fasting?
How you go about your fasting time will vary according to who you listen to, but a good rule of thumb seems to be the 14-16 hour fasting period is of most benefit. Some authors talk of 18 hour fasts. Most people now appear to be having their last meal at around 8pm at night and skipping breakfast to have their next meal around midday and thus giving them around a 16 hour fasted period.
One of the key benefits of this type of fasting is that your body can now no longer rely on glucose as its fuel source because you are depriving it of any food while you are fasting. As a result your body now has to adapt to finding another fuel source and it is this adaptation that is of the most benefit. By no longer having a readily available fuel source, your body starts to look for other metabolic fuel supplies and so starts to convert stored fat into a fuel source called ketones. When we then start to use these ketones for energy use in the absence of glucose, the process is called ketogenesis and is highly beneficial especially for highly energy dependant areas of our body like our brain, muscles and heart
There is now a lot of research going into the benefits of this type of metabolism by many world leading organisations including NASA As a result of this research many many other benefits of ketogenesis are starting to come to the fore
Why is NASA so interested in ketosis?
Prior to 1965, it was thought that the brain could only use glucose exclusively for energy but then some ground breaking research done in 1967 but Dr Oliver Owen Dr George Cahill changed the thinking on brain energy metabolism. (Their research fasted patients over 40 days. They were then given a shot of insulin to lower blood glucose even further and surprisingly the participants did not go into hypoglycaemic shock.).
So ketones are now known to provide a source of energy that your brain can use when your body is in ketosis perviously thought not possible Ketones can also have anti inflammatory effect on the brain, they can deactivate genes, and they can help your brain to maintain homeostasis under conditions where it would otherwise have neuro/metabolic failure eg. high pressure oxygen, a brain tumour, or hypoglycaemia. Ketosis appears to work universally across all different seizure types according to Professor D’Agostino.
This knowledge has prompted new research on the neuroprotective benefits of ketones and ketosis in situations that could typically cause a seizure Professor Dom D’Agostino is doing amazing research into this area at the University of South Florida and further research in collaboration with NASA on a project called the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) where they stimulate extreme space exploration conditions under water in Florida. Their research is looking at what can counter the effects of working in extreme environments including low and high oxygen conditions and how ketones can offer a neuroprotective advantage
Why is NASA so interested in ketosis?
NASA EXTREME ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH WITH PROFESSOR DOM D’AGOSTINO