From the article:
BHB is a metabolite produced by the body in response to fasting, high-intensity exercise, caloric restriction, or consumption of the low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. Dixit said it is well known that fasting and calorie restriction reduces inflammation in the body, but it was unclear how immune cells adapt to reduced availability of glucose and if they can respond to metabolites produced from fat oxidation.
Working with mice and human immune cells, Dixit and colleagues focused on how macrophages – specialized immune cells that produce inflammation – respond when exposed to ketone bodies and whether that impacts the inflammasone complex.
The team introduced BHB to mouse models of inflammatory diseases caused by NLP3. They found that this reduced inflammation, and that inflammation was also reduced when the mice were given a ketogenic diet, which elevates the levels of BHB in the bloodstream.
Thank you for posting this. I have been on a ketogenic diet for about a year now. As much as I enjoy it I have to admit I wonder if I am getting enough micronutrients in my diet. Does Dr. Patrick have a list with the recommended daily amounts of vitamins and minerals that she recommends the average person should be consuming? Best Regards, Jim
I’d be interested in this too.
@carlsonbjj Just saw you posted this! I just read the paper and tweeted it. Pretty interesting how β-hydroxybutyrate inhibits the inflammasome formation in macrophage cells and this is responsible for anti-inflammatory effect of fasting (also exercise and ketogenic diet). This mechanism is independent of AMPK and Sirt1.
That is awesome!