The Sweet and Sour Link: High-Sugar Diet, Obesity, and Neurodegenerative Diseases
A high-sugar diet may lead to insulin resistance in the brain, reducing its ability to remove neuronal debris and increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS, according to researchers from the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Using a fruit fly model, the study found that a high-sugar diet caused glial cells in the brain to have reduced amounts of a protein called PI3k, indicating insulin resistance, and a lower amount of another protein called Draper, which assists in clearing neuronal debris. While the study was conducted on fruit flies, it provides insights into the potential impact of diet-induced insulin resistance on brain function in humans.
