Obesity during middle ages may contribute to the early development of Alzheimer’s, study states

It’s been a while since we have known and learnt that ageing has been identified as a significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. However, today we learn that obesity too could be a contributing factor to the early development of the brain disorder, termed as the most common form of dementia.

A new study shows that ageing combined with a high fat and high sugar diet can result in inflammation and stress in the hippocampus — the area responsible for long-term memory — and prefrontal cortex — the area responsible for complex cognitive, emotional and behavioural functions. Both these brain regions are believed to be involved in the progression of the brain disorder.

“This study provides novel information in relation to the mechanistic link between obesity and the transition from adulthood to middle age and signalling cascades that may be related to (Alzheimer’s) pathology later in life,” said researchers, including Rebecca E.K. MacPherson, from the Brock University in Ontario, Canada.

This study, published in the journal, Physiological reports that the team used a mouse model to look at the effects of an obesity-inducing diet on insulin signalling the process that tells the body how to use sugar and markers of inflammation and cellular stress. One group of mice received a high-fat, high-sugar diet (“HFS”), while the control group had a normal diet. The study also revealed that certain areas of the brain respond differently to risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s.

“These results add to our basic understanding of the pathways involved in the early progression of (Alzheimer’s) pathogenesis and demonstrate the negative effects of an HFS diet on both the prefrontal cortex and hippocampal regions,” MacPherson said.