Group of Scientists Propose a New Driver of Alzheimer's Disease: Fructose
Alzheimer's disease remains incurable, despite the best efforts of scientists and a number of recent discoveries. Now researchers have a new hypothesis about a possible driving force behind the disease: a type of sugar called fructose. Previous research has indicated that fructose in the brain helped our ancestors forage for food. But the new paper suggests that, in our modern world, the changes this sugar triggers could actually be linked to Alzheimer's. Fructose is found in many foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and honey. But it can also be produced by the body naturally, for example by pathways that are stimulated by consumption of a high salt diet. So how did fructose help our ancestors? The sugar inhibits certain parts of the brain's metabolism: blocking distractions, such as recent memories and paying attention to the passing of time. That 'switching off' of certain brain activities helps us focus better on survival, and also prompts exploratory and risk-taking behavior, all important for foraging. Read more...
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