
Low-protein high-carb diet shows promise for healthy brain aging - laurex
https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uos-lhd111418.php
======
jimmaswell
I've heard the complete opposite, so as usual, it's impossible to know what to
actually believe outside of a few basics when it comes to nutrition. I figure
I might as well just stick to believing higher fat and protein is good for you
since you can find other articles saying so and it aligns more with what I
like to eat and carbs seem to make me tired.

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DailyHN
What's the glycemic index of the carbs?

The article says

> complex carbohydrates derived from starch, and casein protein

"Complex" probably means a pretty low glycemic index.

But what does that mean to me at the grocery store?

It's sad how we don't make glycemic index easier for people via nutrition
facts.

For example, eating 100g of cauliflower carbs is a lot better than 100g of
refined sugar. But, by looking at the nutrition facts I see "both are 100g of
carbs."

Edit: fix high to low as pointed out by child comment.

~~~
saiya-jin
> "Complex" probably means a pretty high glycemic index.

AFAIK it is the opposite - complex carbs are the best carbs to consume, since
they don't release energy all at once but slower. Complex -> Simple -> Absorb
instead of just last 2 steps.

Even better is to consume them with plenty of fiber, slows down absorption
even more, and spikes in glycemic index are much lower

~~~
DailyHN
Your right, that's correct. I need to edit that.

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Real_S
This reminds me of the calorie restriction research done in fruit flies (e.g.
[1]). They found that protein was toxic to fruit-flies, and then journalists
foolishly extrapolated that to humans. Apparently, feeding fruit-flies _yeast
extract_ gives them a short life-span. Who would have thought?!

Now in mice, who primarily eat _grains_ , researchers find that feeding them
milk is bad for their brain health. How is this research even funded?!
Extrapolating this to humans in any way is entirely foolish.

[1] [https://phys.org/news/2017-11-protein-diet-early-life-
lifesp...](https://phys.org/news/2017-11-protein-diet-early-life-
lifespan.html)

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thrower123
A high-carb low-protein diet probably is a good recipe for having a healthy
brain when you tip over - you'll die of diabetes or heart disease well before
you get a chance to get squishy.

~~~
shlant
the most nutritionally dense foods in the world are carbs. I know people love
to oversimplify and demonize entire macronutrients, but not all
carbs/proteins/fats are good/bad. Many carbs are bad due to heavy processing
and added sugars/fats, many are good such as fruits and vegetables.

~~~
s9w
Uhm that isn't right isn't it? Not sure what you mean by nutritionally dense,
but fat as more calories per gram

~~~
shlant
Nutrition Density, not Calorie Density

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_density](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_density)

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h2onock
So basically, you can be overweight with great brain function or ripped and
risk losing your marbles. You sort of can't win either way really can you!

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bantersaurus
Probably carbs from veg and beans... Not wotsits

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kavalec
Death or insanity, diabetics. Choose!

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nabla9
From public health perspective these studies work only for people who are able
to control their eating long term. That's minority of adults.

Put mice in high stress environment, let them choose when and how much they
eat. Allow them to choose from large variety of diets. Then find out foods
that are both healthy and something that mice choose to eat without becoming
fat.

My guess is that oatmeal with trace amounts of cocaine would be close to
optimal.

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tmarice
As already discussed on Joe Rogan's show
([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eefgRVi7Ko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eefgRVi7Ko)
\- 25 minute summary), most of these studies are epidemiological studies and
are not suitable for the field of nutrition.

~~~
hirundo
This study isn't epidemiological, it's randomly controlled. But it's on mice,
and there's no reason to think that the macro nutrient ratios required by mice
are the same as for humans.

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fsloth
This is really cool. I know it's just mice but I find it really valuable more
research is poured into how people can affect their health through simple
choices like diet.

So, given this study is valid for humans... Atkins to lose weight, then dial
back to carbs to stay healthy?

~~~
emdowling
Unfortunately, diet is often not a simple choice. The price of calories has
gone down significantly for mass-produced, less-healthy food, whereas healthy
food (like fresh fruit and vegetables) are nowhere near as cheap.

Look at fast food restaurant menus and the processed/frozen food section of
your supermarket and it is 50% cheaper to feed a family of four that way (and
perceived to be faster) than it is to use fresh, healthy ingredients.

Then factor in less-developed countries, where access to food is a major issue
(today, it was announced that ~85,000 have died in Yemen due to starvation)
and it becomes clear - for a very large portion of the world, diet is not a
simple choice.

~~~
fsloth
Um, a discussion about nutritional science went suddenly really political.

Should I say next time that I cherish every living being, and wish that
everyone could be well and happy, and that I'm grateful for my capacity to
make life choices including my diet, and that I wish that everyone would have
this capacity, while recognizing that the world is full of suffering and evil,
that I strive with my every breath to increase the happiness of others and
promote good?

It gets really repetetive, really fast. I don't see how it promotes an
interesting discussion.

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geronb
Does this mean a low carb diet like keto is bad for brain aging?

~~~
adrianN
It's nutrition science so it probably means nothing without large scale
replication in humans.

~~~
deathcakes
s/probably//

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nefasti
I love mice

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choot
Does that mean, taller people suffer more brain damage?

Tall = high protein generation after generation

At least that's what we find from Native American diet consisting of 65-75%
animal protein and they were tallest at the time.

Genetically, they were Asians who moved out of Siberia into North America but
Asians were and are still short.

The difference between them was their diet, environment not genes. Genes might
have changed later.

~~~
johnday
Why on earth would eating more protein make your children taller? That's the
weirdest reading of evolution I've ever heard.

~~~
tekproxy
Epigenetics?

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905637/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905637/)

[http://www.pnas.org/content/107/39/16757.full](http://www.pnas.org/content/107/39/16757.full)

[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-of-
human...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-of-human-
height/)

------
choot
Native American ate 65-70% animal protein in their diet.

What was their life expectancy and brain health?

Checkout diet of diffent tribes: [https://thepaleodiet.com/north-american-
plains-indians-tall-...](https://thepaleodiet.com/north-american-plains-
indians-tall-and-robust-meat-eaters-but-not-a-milk-drinker-among-them/)

~~~
choot
Downvotes explain what's wrong with my statement?

~~~
0xcde4c3db
I didn't downvote, but I'll make a guess:

Native Americans comprise a broad range of cultures that developed in a
variety of geographies and climates. Making sweeping generalizations about
their traditional lifestyles is both flagrantly poor anthropology and a known
practice among peddlers of diet pseudoscience.

~~~
choot
This lists different tribes and their diet [https://thepaleodiet.com/north-
american-plains-indians-tall-...](https://thepaleodiet.com/north-american-
plains-indians-tall-and-robust-meat-eaters-but-not-a-milk-drinker-among-them/)

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hobo_mark
"However, the majority of people have a hard time restricting calories,
especially in Western societies where food is so freely available."

Sorry what? Nobody is force feeding you. (FWIW, I've been eating once a day,
except on weekends, for at least a year now).

~~~
AllegedAlec
> I've been eating once a day,

Completely irrelevant when talking about caloric intake. For all we know,
you're gorging on deep fried butter once a day.

~~~
hobo_mark
Sure, but the quoted part still does not make sense, I mean the claim for "the
majority of people".

~~~
falcolas
Sure it does. For most people, food improves their mood and removes
discomfort. Sweets even go beyond improving mood and into creating something
of a high.

A relatively inexpensive and broadly available product that makes you feel
better and that your body naturally craves? It takes restraint to _not_
consume it in excess.

