A new study has linked excess sugar to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages, as scientists still haven’t discovered what precisely causes the disease. However, a new study has found that people who enjoy a sugar-rich diet may have a greater risk of developing the mental disorder.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports by a team of researchers from the University of Bath. They found that Alzheimer’s disease, characterized by memory loss and the decline of cognitive abilities, may be more prevalent in people who are eating high levels of sugar.
More specifically, the blood sugar glucose and the disease have several close connections. According to the study, glucose is capable of weakening a key enzyme known as MIF, (macrophage migration inhibitory factor), which resists the spread of Alzheimer’s.
Jean den Elsen, a researcher at the University of Bath, stated that the MIF enzyme would normally be part of the body’s immune response to the increase of abnormal proteins in the brain. However, since sugar is capable of reducing the function of the MIF enzyme, scientists have concluded that this could be a tipping point for the development of Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects more than 50 million people worldwide. However, the situation will only get worse in the future, as studies predict that the number of people affected by the neurologically degenerative disease will reach 125 million by the year 2050. Nonetheless, researchers believe that their recent findings regarding the connection of the disease with sugar may help them track the progression of Alzheimer’s in patients.
The study also found that the people who are most susceptible to developing the disease, at a much higher rate, is those who are obese and diabetic due to their high levels of blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia. This means that the function of MIF enzyme will be heavily impacted and will allow the increase of abnormal proteins in the brain, a factor that leads to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Further research is still required as scientists want to examine whether patients experience similar changes to their MIF enzyme found in their blood, not only in the brain.
What do you think about the study’s findings?
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Michael Turner
