Does the body burn brain fat?

(Mark Thomson) #1

Hi guys, I was asked a curious question today by someone who is genuinely interested rather than just asking dumb stuff for argument sake. I have no idea what the answer is so I’ll put it to the group and see if I can get any feedback.

The question… “Do you have any thoughts on the body utilizing fat in the brain as part of it’s fat fueling when you are in ketosis” (I’ve paraphrased the question to better frame it).

Now my immediate thoughts are “I doubt that would occur (unless it was an incredibly extreme situation and even then I have my doubts) as the brain is somewhat critical. I suspect there are checks and controls in place to prevent that happening”. My thoughts may sound good, I have no information to base this on other than knowing other protective mechanisms the body has to protect the brain. Do you guys have any idea of science in this area?

Thanks for any help you guys can give me on this one.

Cheers Mark

#2

The brain is provided with extra protection via a system called “blood-brain barrier”. The flux of substances across the membrane is severely restricted and controlled.

(Mark Thomson) #3

Perfect - thanks for that…

(Tom) #4

The fat in the brain isn’t in storage cells (aka adipocytes), and they’re not really designed to store fat for the sake of rendering it available again. Instead, it’s there to facilitate conduction of nerve impulses. So while it might be “fat”, it’s not the same fat as we might have around our shrinking midsections.