Eating junk food may raise the risk of Alzheimer

Stockholm, November 30: Food is like the pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain and has the potential to alter mental functioning. A new study indicates that a diet high in fat, sugar and cholesterol, along with genetic factors, increases the risk of dementia.

Abnormal tangles in the brain associated with Alzheimer were found in the behavior pattern of mice fed on junk food for nine months.

Susanne Akterin, lead researcher at the Karolinska Institute Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, who conducted the experiment for her doctoral thesis, said “On examining the brain of the mice, we found a chemical change not unlike that found in the Alzheimer brain.”

The creature’s brain on testing showed that food changed the protein called tau which in turn caused brain cells to shrink and die. This clearly indicated early stages of the debilitating disease. They also discovered that dietary cholesterol cuts the brain protein arc, which is vital source for memory storage. The study detected high levels of phosphate in junk food which contributes to the tangling of brain cells, leading to eventual death.

This raises the possibility that good eating habits are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities and protecting the brain from damage.

Susanne reflected that, “All in all, the results give some indication of how Alzheimer can be prevented, but more research in this field needs to be done before proper advice can be passed on to the public.”

Alzheimer is incurable form of dementia with more than 24 million sufferers around the world. According to World Health Organization, this figure is set to double every twenty years. This disease adversely affects the brain involving thought, memory and language.

The line of treatment focuses on removing clumps of beta amyloid protein that forms plaque in the brain. The researchers are also tackling toxic tangles caused by abnormal build up of protein tau. Watching one’s weight is also essential as those obese at 60 are twice as likely to have dementia by 75.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, advocates healthy eating to cut the odds of dementia, “Experts increasingly believe eating healthy is the key to reduce your risk of dementia. It is important to eat less fatty food, salt and more fruit and vegetables which are high in antioxidantsdefine.”