Fast Food Junkies At Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

The Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet (KI) published a doctoral thesis that links Alzheimer’s disease with high levels of fast food intake. In the study, Susanne Akterin observed mice that were fed diets rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol. After only nine months, the rats had developed what looked like the preliminary stages Alzheimer’s disease. More specifically, the irregularities found in the brain had greatly resembled those of early Alzheimer’s.

Although the exact causes of Alzheimer’s disease remains unknown, there are many identified risk factors, such as “a variant of a certain gene that governs the production of apolipoprotein E, one of the functions of which is to transport cholesterol”. This study sought to demonstrate the link between this risk factor and diet in mice.

Basically, the brains of these rats were modified to mimic the effects of the apoE4 gene variant by ingesting a diet similar to fast food for nine months. The results showed a chemical change in the brain comparable to that found in Alzheimer’s patients.

The change in question was an increase in phosphate groups attached to tau, a substance that forms the neurofibrillary tangles observed in Alzheimer’s patients. These tangles prevent the cells from functioning normally, which eventually leads to their death. Ms Akterin and her team also noted indications that cholesterol in food reduced levels of another brain substance, Arc, a protein involved in memory storage.

In short, the results of this study suggest that a diet high in fat/cholesterol combined with genetics can potentially contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Although, there has been no direct causal link identified, the study has provided yet another reason to lay off the burgers and fries.

Fast Food A Potential Risk Factor For Alzheimer’s

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Alzheimer's, Brain Development, Diet

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