Could fructose contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s?

(Deep Shukla/ Medical News Today) –– The formation of abnormal aggregates of the beta-amyloid and tau proteins are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. However, treatments targeting these abnormal protein aggregates have shown limited success.

Instead, some researchers have proposed that alterations in brain metabolism that appear prior to these protein aggregates may be responsible for the development of Alzheimer’s.

Studies have shown that high levels of intake of fructose or foods that lead to the production of fructose in the body can lead to metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and elevated blood pressure.

A recent review published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that fructose may also reduce metabolism in brain regions involved in higher cognitive functions, such as reasoning, impulse control, and memory.

A prolonged decline in metabolism in these brain regions may cause the degeneration of these regions and lead to the cognitive decline observed in Alzheimer’s disease. (…)