If you've been a regular follower, you'd have taken note that Mom loves milkshakes, chocolate bars with almonds, and mango-strawberry muscat wine.
Our grandmother, who died nearly 31 years ago due to complications from Alzheimer's was also a glutton for the sweets (cakes, pies, ice cream, but not candy-candy).
So, I began to ponder: "Is there a link between sugar and dementia?"
It would seem the answer is: "Yes!"
Apparently, with dementia comes a resistance in the brain to insulin. This, in turn, may lead to a decline in how the brain is able to function, properly.
"Our research clearly shows that the brain's ability to respond to insulin, which is important for normal brain function, is going offline at some point. Insulin in the brain not only modulates glucose uptake, but also promotes the health of brain cells - their growth, survival, remodeling, and normal functioning. We believe that brain insulin resistance may be an important contributor to the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease," said senior author, Steven E. Arnold, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Neurology. Arnold is also the director of the Penn Memory Center, a National Institute on Aging-designated Alzheimer's Disease Core Center. (Brain Insulin Resistance Contributes to Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease)
Isn't this intriguing?
...there is no evidence that the brain in Alzheimer's is hyperglycemic. Insulin acts differently in the brain than in the rest of the body. Researchers found that insulin resistance of the brain occurs in Alzheimer's disease independent of whether someone has diabetes, by excluding people with a history of diabetes from this study.(Brain Insulin Resistance Contributes to Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease)
The truth is, you are more susceptible to dementia if you have diabetes, but it's not a guarantee; moreover, if you find yourself craving sweets more, it could be nutrition-related, rather than having to do with anything else.
Our grandmother, who died nearly 31 years ago due to complications from Alzheimer's was also a glutton for the sweets (cakes, pies, ice cream, but not candy-candy).
So, I began to ponder: "Is there a link between sugar and dementia?"
It would seem the answer is: "Yes!"
Apparently, with dementia comes a resistance in the brain to insulin. This, in turn, may lead to a decline in how the brain is able to function, properly.
"Our research clearly shows that the brain's ability to respond to insulin, which is important for normal brain function, is going offline at some point. Insulin in the brain not only modulates glucose uptake, but also promotes the health of brain cells - their growth, survival, remodeling, and normal functioning. We believe that brain insulin resistance may be an important contributor to the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease," said senior author, Steven E. Arnold, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Neurology. Arnold is also the director of the Penn Memory Center, a National Institute on Aging-designated Alzheimer's Disease Core Center. (Brain Insulin Resistance Contributes to Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease)
Isn't this intriguing?
...there is no evidence that the brain in Alzheimer's is hyperglycemic. Insulin acts differently in the brain than in the rest of the body. Researchers found that insulin resistance of the brain occurs in Alzheimer's disease independent of whether someone has diabetes, by excluding people with a history of diabetes from this study.(Brain Insulin Resistance Contributes to Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease)
The truth is, you are more susceptible to dementia if you have diabetes, but it's not a guarantee; moreover, if you find yourself craving sweets more, it could be nutrition-related, rather than having to do with anything else.
Studies at UC Davis results did not consistently support a hypothesis that increased sweet preference is a nonspecific form of disinhibited behavior related to declining mental status. Also, studies then did not consistently support a hypothesis relating sweet preference to serotonin activity within the brain. More research is needed because craving for sweets does not mean someone is developing one of the dementia illnesses.(Brain Diabetes, Craving for Sweets, and Dementia Patients Snack Preferences)
Now, I remember how my grandmother nearly finished off a cake in one night, causing Mother to accuse my cousins of actually consuming it - but then we caught her sneaking in the last piece. You'd have never known, as she was as svelte as she was in her 20's.
Mom, on the other hand, began to grow lethargic, and we found large amounts of dove ice cream bar wrappers in her trash when we'd come to visit. Mom would deny their existence, but there they were. I began to wonder if there was a connection between this and our grandmother's affliction but put it in the back of my mind, until now.
They do say, though, that if they could break the blood-brain barrier on this brain insulin problem, they may be able to begin to resolve dementia, if not reverse it.
Something to mull over a malted, perhaps?
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