Healthy Liver - Healthy Brain

The importance of liver function for brain and cognitive health is undeniable. Specifically, adults with chronic liver diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a factor of metabolic syndrome (MetS), experience a range of symptoms including problems with attention, problem solving skills and executive function. Importantly, diet plays a role in the development of NAFLD. The investigators propose to be the first to demonstrate that Metabolic syndrome-related brain vulnerability, in the form of elevated free cerebral glutamate, is related to hepatic triglyceride level, through experimental manipulation of liver fat and multiorgan imaging. The investigators seek to improve liver health by altering diet content in a block randomized feeding trial. The investigators selected a low-carbohydrate (<30 g/d) diet (LoCHO) to reduce liver fat and a low-calorie (LoCAL) diet as a control for weight loss. The investigators hypothesize that LoCHO diet will improve cognitive performance by improving liver health and thus, brain health. This work may provide a way to support brain function in MetS and delay cognitive decline.

Inclusion criteria

• at least 40 years of age
• English speakers
• show a minimum of 5% hepatic triglyceride level on liver imaging
• have not taken part in a weight loss/dietary intervention within 6 months
• not currently adhering to a low-carbohydrate diet (e.g., Atkins, Paleo)

Exclusion criteria

• younger than 40 years of age
• have a history of neurological disease (e.g. stroke, seizure disorder)
• psychiatric illness (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)
• harmful alcohol use (AUDIT-C score >5)
• morbid obesity (BMI>40)
• MRI contraindications