Effects of Ketone Bodies on the Brain
İlayda Toprak1, Hümeyra Güler1, Ayşe Safiye Genç1, Oytun Erbaş1
1ERBAS Institute of Experimental Medicine, Gebze-Kocaeli/Turkey
Keywords: : Brain, ketoacidosis, ketone bodies, neuroprotective effect
Abstract
Ketone bodies, which are formed by liver mitochondria from acetyl coenzyme A, serve as an alternate fuel source for cells. They can be delivered exogenously as well as endogenously produced in the liver. Ketone bodies have a variety of impacts on the brain. They provide an alternate fuel source for the brain is one of the reasons that they have a positive influence on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Another reason ketone bodies are beneficial to the brain is their neuroprotective effect. The neuroprotective effect is the impact that prevents neuronal damage from occurring. Ketoacidosis is the excessive concentration of ketone bodies in the blood, which causes increased acidity. One of the harms caused by ketone bodies to the brain is that ketoacidosis results in death by altering the critical blood pH level. Exogenous ketone bodies should be supplied in a regulated way for these reasons. In this review, the effects of ketone bodies on the brain were discussed.
Cite this article as: Toprak İ, Güler H, Genç AS, Erbaş O. Effects of Ketone Bodies on the Brain. JEB Med Sci 2022;3(2):97-102.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.