Jeffrey Salazar
Dr. Dale Bredesen is a neurologist and author of the book The End of Alzheimer's Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age. The book outlines a novel approach to understanding and treating Alzheimer's and cognitive decline by identifying 36 factors that contribute to cognitive decline. The Bredesen Protocol, also known as the Alzheimer's Diet, involves a highly individualized treatment protocol with certain similar components, including a mildly ketogenic, plant-rich, and nutrient-dense diet, combined with exercise, quality sleep, and supplements.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet Type | KetoFLEX 12/3 |
| Dietary Pattern | Plant-rich, nutrient-dense, whole foods, mildly ketogenic |
| Carbohydrates | Low-carb, less than 50g net carbs per day |
| Fats | High consumption of healthy fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and coconut oil |
| Proteins | Adequate amount of protein, prioritizing animal protein rich in DHA (salmon, mussels, oysters, snow crab) |
| Fruits | Focus on berries with low-sugar content |
| Vegetables | 6-9 cups of non-starchy vegetables (cruciferous and leafy greens), increasing gradually |
| Inflammation | Avoid inflammatory foods, especially simple carbohydrates and certain animal products |
| Supplements | B vitamin supplementation for homocysteine management |
| Exercise | Recommended, ideally 4-5 days a week for 45-60 minutes, with a focus on synapse-strengthening |
| Sleep | Emphasizes quality sleep |
| Fasting | Minimum 12-hour fast, including 3 hours before bed |
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The Bredesen Protocol
One of the key components of the Bredesen Protocol is the KetoFLEX 12/3 diet, which is a mildly ketogenic, plant-based, nutrient-dense, and whole-food-based approach. This diet involves achieving a state of mild ketosis by consuming a low-carbohydrate, high-healthy-fat diet, with a focus on local, organic, and seasonal non-starchy vegetables, adequate protein, and healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. The "12/3" refers to a minimum 12-hour daily fast, including 3 hours before bed, which promotes autophagy or cellular housekeeping.
In addition to the KetoFLEX 12/3 diet, the Bredesen Protocol also recommends regular exercise, focusing on brain health, and optimizing sleep. Dr. Bredesen suggests that exercise, such as training 4-5 days a week for 45 to 60 minutes, can improve cognition and boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). He also emphasizes the importance of reducing inflammation and increasing brain-boosting nutrients, hormones, and cognition-supporting molecules. This includes prioritizing animal protein rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in low-mercury seafood like salmon, mussels, oysters, and snow crab, as well as foods with choline, such as eggs, liver, and grass-fed beef.
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KetoFLEX 12/3
Dr. Dale Bredesen's KetoFLEX 12/3 is a brain-healthy diet designed to prevent and reverse cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. It is a modified keto diet that involves eating highly nutritious, whole foods, including many plant-based foods.
The diet is called KetoFLEX 12/3 because it involves a ketogenic, or "keto", diet, intermittent fasting, and exercise on a foundation of quality sleep. The "12/3" refers to the recommended daily fasting time of a minimum of 12 hours, with at least 3 of those hours before bed. This long daily fast promotes autophagy, or cellular housekeeping, which is a process by which the body recycles worn-out cellular debris to create new cellular parts.
The KetoFLEX 12/3 diet is a heavily plant-based, nutrient-dense, whole foods diet that emphasizes local, organic, and seasonal non-starchy vegetables from every colour of the rainbow. It is combined with an adequate amount of protein and generous amounts of healthy fats. The diet eliminates sugar, simple carbohydrates (such as bread, crackers, pasta, and rice), grains, and dairy, which are inflammatory. Vegetables with a glycemic index lower than 35 should comprise the bulk of the diet, with a focus on deeply pigmented leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. Healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and extra virgin olive oil, are also recommended.
The KetoFLEX 12/3 diet is designed to bring the body into ketosis, a metabolic state where the body uses dietary fat and breaks down stored fat as its primary source of fuel. This is achieved by consuming generous amounts of healthy fat and low amounts of carbohydrates. The diet also incorporates intermittent fasting, which has neuroprotective benefits.
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Inflammation
Dr. Dale Bredesen's research has shown that a highly individualized treatment protocol with certain similar components can produce improvements in brain functioning and markers of cognitive decline and can even regenerate the brain. His protocol identifies 36 different mechanisms contributing to Alzheimer's decline, then gives a blueprint for identifying which issues affect individuals and how to fix them.
The Bredesen Protocol is a clinically-tested "Alzheimer's diet" that can potentially slow and even reverse cognitive decline or prevent disease in APOE4 susceptible individuals. It is a method of intermittent fasting, eating anti-inflammatory foods, promoting gut health, and avoiding dairy and sugar.
The Ketoflex 12/3 diet, which is an essential component of the Bredesen protocol, is a mildly ketogenic, plant-rich, highly nutritive diet combined with a minimum 12-hour fast (including 3 hours before bed). It is a heavily plant-based, nutrient-dense, whole foods diet that emphasizes local, organic, and seasonal non-starchy vegetables from every color of the rainbow, combined with an adequate amount of protein, and generous amounts of healthy fat.
The diet recommends 6-9 cups of non-starchy vegetables, like cruciferous and leafy greens per day, gradually increasing the amount. It also recommends healthy herbs, spices, and teas, like green tea or matcha. Certain animal products cause inflammation, so Dr. Bredesen recommends prioritizing animal protein rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in low-mercury seafood, including salmon, mussels, oysters, and snow crab. Foods with choline, like eggs, liver, and grass-fed beef, also support overall health, especially memory.
To reduce inflammation, Dr. Bredesen recommends avoiding advanced glycation end products (AGEs) – glycotoxins produced by a reaction between sugars and proteins or fats. High levels of AGEs add to the body's inflammation. To reduce and avoid AGEs, use moist heat, shorter cooking times, and lower temperatures. Grilling, searing, roasting, and frying are all cooking methods that produce AGEs.
Dr. Bredesen also recommends regular exercise to help improve cognition. Ideally, one should train 4-5 days per week, for 45 to 60 minutes in total each day.
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Brain health
Dr. Dale Bredesen's protocol for brain health is a highly individualized treatment with certain similar components. It is a rigorous lifestyle, nutrition, and health/environmental change program that aims to prevent and reverse cognitive decline. The protocol is broken down into five "pyramid" levels, with the overall goal of removing exposure triggers that lead to cognitive decline, optimizing health support, and rebuilding the neural network.
The first step in the Bredesen Protocol is a set of simple blood tests and a cognitive assessment that can be taken online. This allows the doctor to customize a treatment plan for better brain health. The protocol includes a diet that is low-glycemic, low-inflammatory, and low-grain. It eliminates gluten, dairy, sugar, and processed foods, and increases the intake of vegetables, fruits, wild fish, grass-fed beef, and organic chicken. Simple carbohydrates are limited to minimize inflammation and reduce insulin resistance, which has been linked to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.
The protocol also includes intermittent fasting, with a recommended daily fasting time of at least 12 hours, including three hours before bedtime. This promotes the restoration of insulin sensitivity, which leads to improved cognition. Additionally, the protocol suggests consuming coconut oil, as the medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) within it enhance the production of "ketones," an alternative source of energy for brain cells.
The Bredesen Protocol also addresses the importance of gut health, recommending prebiotic fiber, resistant starch, and probiotic foods. Animal protein should be limited, and if consumed, it should be low-mercury wild-caught seafood and pastured eggs. The protocol also suggests balancing hormones, including progesterone, pregnenolone, cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, and thyroid hormones.
Finally, the protocol includes aerobic exercise and managing cerebrovascular risk factors. Dr. Bredesen also emphasizes the importance of adequate sleep, recommending seven to eight hours of sleep per night as the foundation of the Keto/FLEX 12/3 lifestyle.
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Cognitive decline
Dr. Dale Bredesen, a neurologist and professor at the Easton Laboratories for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at UCLA, has developed a therapeutic program to prevent and reverse cognitive decline. The program, known as the Bredesen Protocol, takes a holistic and functional approach to enhance cognition and address the multifaceted causes of Alzheimer's disease.
The Bredesen Protocol involves a combination of dietary, lifestyle, and medical interventions. In terms of diet, the protocol emphasizes a low-glycemic, low-inflammatory, and low-grain approach. This includes eliminating gluten, processed foods, and refined carbohydrates, while increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits, wild fish, grass-fed beef, and organic chicken. Intermittent fasting and a mildly ketogenic diet are also recommended to promote insulin sensitivity and enhance cognition.
In addition to dietary changes, the Bredesen Protocol incorporates stress management techniques such as yoga and meditation. It also addresses hormone optimization, including balancing hormones such as progesterone, pregnenolone, cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, and thyroid hormones. Dr. Bredesen's protocol is highly individualized, taking into account factors such as glucose response, insulin levels, inflammatory status, and genetic variation.
The protocol has shown success in clinical trials, with improvements in brain functioning and markers of cognitive decline. However, it has also attracted criticism, with some experts arguing that there is a lack of rigorous scientific evidence to support its claims. Nonetheless, Dr. Bredesen's work highlights the importance of addressing cognitive decline through a comprehensive and personalized approach that considers nutrition, lifestyle, and environmental factors.
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Frequently asked questions
The Bredesen Protocol, also known as the Alzheimer's Diet, is a diet and lifestyle plan designed to prevent and treat cognitive decline. The protocol is highly individualised, but generally involves a mildly ketogenic, plant-rich, and nutrient-dense diet, regular exercise, and supplements.
The Bredesen Protocol involves making dietary and lifestyle changes to improve brain functioning and markers of cognitive decline. This includes eating a low-carb, plant-rich diet, getting regular exercise, taking supplements, and prioritising sleep.
The Bredesen Protocol recommends a diet rich in non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats, and lean animal protein. Specific food recommendations include leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, berries, avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and low-mercury seafood.
The Bredesen Protocol emphasises avoiding inflammatory foods, including simple carbohydrates, sugar, grains, and dairy. It also recommends limiting fruit intake due to its high sugar content.
The Bredesen Protocol has been shown to improve brain functioning and markers of cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease. It may also help to prevent cognitive decline in individuals at risk.
