Quote · The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
Most Replayed Moment: Alzheimer's Starts 20 Years Before Symptoms! How To Protect Your Brain Now
Where this was said
Louisa's Protocol If Diagnosed: Ketones, Exercise, and Omega-3s
At 29:08 · chapter starts 29:05
The episode's final chapter is a thought experiment with real practical weight. Bartlett asks: if Louisa Nicola herself were diagnosed with Alzheimer's tomorrow, what would she do? She responds without hesitation and with striking specificity [1] — Louisa Nicola "During Alzheimer's, the brain loses its ability to metabolize glucose — it enters a metabolic crisis. The brain responds by breaking down t…" 29:08 . First: aggressive, consistent exercise. Second: a ketogenic diet, or exogenous ketone supplementation. The reasoning is mechanistic — in Alzheimer's, the brain enters a metabolic crisis where it loses the ability to metabolize glucose effectively. Starved for fuel, it begins cannibalizing the myelin sheath. Astrocytes respond by producing ketone bodies as an emergency fuel source. A keto diet bypasses the broken glucose pathway and feeds the brain what it can still use. Third: aggressive lipid management and high omega-3 fatty acid intake, both of which support vascular and neuronal health. Finally: social engagement, hard conversations, going outside, and even throwing tennis balls against a wall — any activity that keeps the brain's plasticity alive for as long as possible. It's a protocol that circles back perfectly to everything discussed: the primacy of exercise, the importance of metabolic health, and the underrated power of keeping the brain active and connected.
During Alzheimer's, the brain loses its ability to metabolize glucose — it enters a metabolic crisis. The brain responds by breaking down the myelin sheath to produce ketone bodies. A ketogenic or exogenous ketone strategy can supply the alternative fuel the brain is desperately seeking.
