What really causes Alzheimer’s?

By Brett Arends, MarketWatch

https://apple.news/AsjV1VlENTZenwVnkWMadkg

Our Western diet of sugars, salt, refined carbs, and bad fats has been linked to higher risks of heart disease and diabetes, liver disease, strokes, and multiple types of cancer. It is the lead cause of an obesity epidemic that is killing an estimated 300,000 Americans a year as well as costing the health system $173 billion.

Now a team of scientists argue it may be behind the Alzheimer’s disease epidemic as well.

Sugars and other “high glycemic” carbs (meaning carbs that cause a quick spike in blood sugar), salty foods, alcohol, processed red meats, organ meats, shellfish and beer are among the foods named in a new paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and co-written by researchers from the Rocky Mountain VA Medical Center in Colorado, the University of Colorado, Boston University, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Miami, and the National Institute of Cardiology in Mexico.

The paper links Alzheimer’s with excessive fructose, the sugar typically associated with fruits, but the paper’s main focus isn’t on fruit. These have “a relatively low fructose content” compared with processed foods 

and also neutralizing factors in fruit such as fiber and vitamin C.

Instead the real culprits are foods with “added sugars that contain fructose and glucose” such as table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, along with foods that stimulate the body to produce its own fructose: That means “high glycemic carbohydrates, alcohol, and salty foods.”

The reason? When we consume a lot of fructose or these foods, it tricks our bodies into thinking we are about to enter a famine. And not just an intermittent fast, but the kind of “seasonal starvation that occurred in the middle Miocene subepoch,” when humans were threatened with extinction, they argue.

These foods flip a “survival switch,” causing a complex set of reactions by different parts of the body designed to make the human prepare for the famine above anything else: “an orchestrated response to encourage food and water intake, reduce resting metabolism, stimulate fat and glycogen accumulation, and induce insulin resistances as a means to reduce metabolism and preserve glucose supply for the brain.”

The body also redirects energy to the parts of the brain specifically needed to survive a pending famine, such as those good for foraging. Other parts of the brain get less energy than they need as a result.

“AD [Alzheimer’s disease] results from a maladaptation to an evolutionary survival pathway that is used by many animals and was even essential to the survival of our distant ancestors millions of years ago,” they argue.

The latest paper isn’t the first to suggest a link between our toxic “Western” diet and Alzheimer’s. These include this, this and this.

Lab rats in the past given lots of fructose have developed tau proteins and amyloid plaques in the brain, markers of dementia.

Thanks for posting this.  Alzheimer's is an incredibly mysterious disease still, despite billions of funds poured into research on a global basis.  This is a compelling argument, and whether it proves accurate or not, it's just good nutritional practice generally to cut down on fructose and other sources of sugar.  I've known people with dementia whose diet devolved ultimately into sugar-based foods, especially ice cream.  It's as though the disease is created by sugar and craves it, too. 

There are, however, other theories.  I was reading this article last night:  https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/19/could-alzheimers-be-caused-by-an-infection

The byline is "Research into the disease has focused on plaques in the brain. But some scientists think viruses and bacteria play a role – and their work is
gaining ground"

I know a of a woman named Julia Lundstrum- neuroscientist and Brain Educator who's CEO of Simple Smart Science.  She's posting a lot of  results, webinars and contacts for more studies about causes of ALZHEIMER's.  She focuses generally on diet, heredity, sleep  (amount & quality], research results & more.  She also posts a daily newsletter.

I'll come back & edit this with her URLs, etc. when I have fhem in front of me.  Later.

Elle_Cee said:

Thanks for posting this.  Alzheimer's is an incredibly mysterious disease still, despite billions of funds poured into research on a global basis.  This is a compelling argument, and whether it proves accurate or not, it's just good nutritional practice generally to cut down on fructose and other sources of sugar.  I've known people with dementia whose diet devolved ultimately into sugar-based foods, especially ice cream.  It's as though the disease is created by sugar and craves it, too. 

There are, however, other theories.  I was reading this article last night:  https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/19/could-alzheimers-be-caused-by-an-infection

The byline is "Research into the disease has focused on plaques in the brain. But some scientists think viruses and bacteria play a role – and their work is
gaining ground"

What makes it so mysterious is that -- even today -- diagnosis can only be certain upon autopsy.  Kind of amazing  they've been able to learn as much as they have -- and develop medicines that can at least delay it a bit and improve patients' and caregivers' lives.  Education and understanding are so key.

Juniemoon said:

What makes it so mysterious is that -- even today -- diagnosis can only be certain upon autopsy.  Kind of amazing  they've been able to learn as much as they have -- and develop medicines that can at least delay it a bit and improve patients' and caregivers' lives.  Education and understanding are so key.

Yes, it has been an ongoing process for me trying to figure out what really causes the brain to die before the body. My mother used a lot of aluminum cookware as I recall growing up, so when it was mentioned as a possible culprit I became curious. It was horrible watching someone so vibrant just slowly die like that. But she became diabetic also just a few years prior to the dementia, now I’m thinking it’s probably linked in some way? I recently lost another close relative with this disease also, and now when I forget little things I don’t laugh at it anymore.  It starts slowly, and we joke about it being because of getting older. 
Sugar is a huge problem for people. Lack of exercise, which doesn’t help in burning off that sugar, also contributes to the problem. I think you have to keep moving if you want to live a healthier life. You have to get your heart rate up every day, walking is the best exercise for me, not running. I’m just trying to keep myself healthy as long as possible. 

Following up on my last comment:  Here's a URL for Julia Lundstrom's "SimpleSmartScience" Facebook page:
(I made a "tiny URL" to save you all from having to type in that long one.  It should work, but she shouldn't be hard to find on Google if it doesn't).  I believe she may have a Youtube channel as well.

https://tinyurl.com/2s373uv5

Stay well, active, and un-sugared everyone!

https://www.sciencealert.com/alzheimers-may-not-actually-be-a-brain-disease-expert-says

Regarding the sugar theory, there are nations where sugar consumption is higher than average. Scotland come to mind. Do those nations produce higher levels of Alz. than other nations?

And yes, I recognize that sugar is not recommended on any dietary list.