Blood Sugar and Alzheimer's Disease

For years medical researchers have been searching for the causes and contributing factors of Alzheimer's disease. We will discuss some of the most recent findings with regards to the causes of Alzheimers disease.

Recently, a New York Times article reported that high blood sugar levels can adversely affect part of the brain that controls memory. Citing the fact that the body's ability to control and process glucose begins to decline naturally as it ages--the decline starts when we reach thirty or forty--researchers noted that a rise in glucose levels seems to accompany mental decline. MRI tests of older patients showed reduced blood flow to the part of the brain that controls memory (the dentate gyrus) occurs as glucose levels increase. This corresponds to earlier studies that suggest that patients with Type 2 diabetes run a greater risk of developing dementia with age than the unafflicted population. Perhaps glucose in the blood stream is injurious because it causes a restriction of blood flow to the brain leading to, or being a cause of serious cognitive problems like Alzheimer's disease.

Before you throw away all of your sugar, or products containing sugar, consider that researchers suggest that regular exercise helps the body to control its glucose levels. Perhaps the best approach is to moderate sugar intake, and to increase daily exercise. So, get out there and start walking briskly to avoid the risk of Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia that may be caused by reduced bloodflow to the head.

If you have the time, you can read the article about elevated glucose levels as a cause of Alzheimer's disease by pasting this link into your browser:


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/health/31memory.html?_r=1&emc=eta1