Research reveals 'brain turning point' where thinking ability suddenly declines, but what are the supplements that maintain brain energy?
The age at which the skin care you had when you were young suddenly becomes ineffective is sometimes called the 'skin turning point.' Similarly, the decline of the brain is also nonlinear, and at a certain age, brain function begins to decline rapidly, as revealed by a study of approximately 20,000 brain scans. This study also found that it may be possible to effectively halt aging by providing energy to the brain, whose metabolism has declined, through supplements and diet.
Brain aging shows nonlinear transitions, suggesting a midlife “critical window” for metabolic intervention | PNAS
Study Reveals Critical Age When Your Thinking Begins to Decline : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-reveals-critical-age-when-your-thinking-begins-to-decline
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on March 3, 2025, a research team led by Liliane Mujica-Parody of Stony Brook University in the United States analyzed brain test datasets collected in four large-scale surveys, including the UK Biobank.
According to brain scans of a total of 19,300 people, brain changes begin to become noticeable around the age of 44, progress most rapidly at age 67, and stabilize around age 90. The research team believes that the breakdown of neuronal networks due to insulin resistance , a hormone that allows cells to absorb energy, may be the cause of brain decline.
'Understanding exactly when and how brain aging accelerates can inform strategic timing for interventions,' said Mujica-Parody. 'We have identified a critical period in midlife when the brain is no longer able to get enough energy, but before irreversible damage has occurred - a 'turn of the mill'.'
The research team also conducted genetic analysis and found that activity related to the glucose transporter GLUT4 and the lipid transporter APOE correlated with decreased brain function. GLUT4 in particular plays an important role in providing energy to cells in response to insulin, but when brain cells are unable to take in glucose as an energy source due to insulin resistance, the brain's signaling network collapses.
Meanwhile, genetic analysis has revealed that activity of the ketone/lactate transporter MCT2 is inversely correlated with declines in brain function, meaning that the effects of brain aging may be mitigated by providing neurons with lactate and ketones.
The brain's main energy source is glucose, but the insulin that gets glucose into brain cells becomes less effective due to insulin resistance as we age. On the other hand, the supply of ketone bodies, an alternative energy source, is not dependent on insulin, making them a promising potential treatment for age-related metabolic decline.
The research team then examined experimental data from 101 subjects aged 21 to 79 years old who were given ketone supplements, and found that the effects of the intervention were greatest in the 40-59 age group, the age group when brain neural networks become most unstable.
Regarding the function of ketone bodies, Mujica-Parody explained, 'In middle-aged people, neurons suffer from metabolic stress due to fuel shortage, but they still survive. Therefore, providing alternative fuels at this critical time may restore their function. If neurons are starved for longer periods after this age, the effectiveness of interventions may be reduced.'
The researchers found that ketone bodies produced endogenously through fasting or a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, as well as ketone bodies administered exogenously as supplements, could potentially alleviate the insulin resistance-induced decline in neuronal function.
'This is a paradigm shift in how we think about preventing brain aging,' said lead author Botond Antal of Stony Brook University. 'Rather than waiting to develop cognitive symptoms that don't surface until significant damage has occurred, we could identify those at risk through neurometabolic markers and intervene at a critical time.'
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