Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania in the US found that a ketogenic diet, which involves reducing carbohydrates and increasing fats in the diet, helps reduce cravings for alcoholic beverages. results published In Frontiers in Nutrition.
33 adults with alcohol addiction participated in the study. Scientists divided them into two groups. The first group followed a standard Western diet, and the second followed the keto diet. It assumes that fat predominates in the diet. Specifically, 20-25% of calories should come from proteins, 70% from fats, and only 5-10% from carbohydrates.
The intervention lasted three weeks. Each week, study participants had to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to assess perception of alcohol-related stimuli. This allowed scientists to identify changes in addictive behavior and brain reactions.
It turned out that the neurobiological feature of alcohol craving (Neurobiological Craving Signature, NCS) was reduced in the group following the keto diet. This indicator represents the pattern of response of the entire brain to signals from its individual parts (cingulate cortex, striatum, temporoparietal association areas, mediadorsal thalamus and cerebellum) when exposed to a stimulus.
It also turned out that alcohol cravings, measured using a special questionnaire, began to decline faster among all participants.
The researchers suggested that increased ketone levels in the participants’ bodies contributed to reduced alcohol cravings. These are organic substances produced by the liver from fat. They can act as an alternative energy source if there is a lack of carbohydrates in the diet.
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