'Ketogenic diet' can ward off ageing: study

Researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Senior Investigator Eric Verdin, have identified the role that a chemical compound in the human body plays in the ageing process.

The mechanism may be key to new therapies for treating or preventing a variety of age-related diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer's and many forms of cancer.

Researchers examined the role of the compound beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB), a so-called "ketone body" produced during a prolonged low-calorie or ketogenic diet.

While ketone bodies such as beta-OHB can be toxic when present at very high concentrations in people with diseases such as Type I diabetes, researchers found that at lower concentrations, beta-OHB helps protect cells from "oxidative stress"