According to scientists at the University of Colorado, Alzheimer's disease can be triggered by nutrition. The results of the work, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), show that fructose was able to cause the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain, which are the main hallmark of neurodegenerative disease.

Using an animal model of rats fed a long-term fructose-rich diet, the authors traced the formation of tau and beta-amyloid proteins in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease. Animals treated with fructose experienced memory lapses, loss of the ability to navigate the maze, and neuronal inflammation. People with this disease also have high levels of fructose in their brains.

Experts suggest that the relationship between fructose and Alzheimer's disease may be a vestige - an ancient evolutionary food mechanism aimed at finding food in conditions of scarcity.

When the threat of possible starvation arose, early humans developed a survival response that made them look for food. Finding food requires concentration, quick judgment, impulsiveness, exploratory behavior, and a willingness to take risks. To do this, the brain needs to block out all distractions, such as recent memories and attention to time. Fructose helps loosen up these centers in the brain, allowing you to better focus on gathering food.

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Moreover, the entire reaction to the search for food was provoked by the metabolism of fructose, regardless of whether it was eaten or produced in the body. This type of sugar reduces blood flow to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for self-control, as well as to the hippocampus and thalamus. At the same time, blood rushed more strongly to the visual cortex associated with food rewards.

The researchers believe that this reaction with fructose was originally a reversible process. But the constant and persistent decline in metabolism caused by repeated exposure to fructose led to progressive brain atrophy and neuronal loss with all the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. As a result, a response that was useful in times of food scarcity was constantly active in conditions of relative abundance. In modern times, excessive consumption of fatty, sweet and salty foods is not uncommon, and this causes excess production of fructose.

Future studies are planned to further investigate the roles of fructose and uric acid metabolism in the development of neurodegenerative disease. There is also a need for dietary and pharmacological testing to reduce the effects of fructose or block its metabolism to determine whether Alzheimer's disease can be prevented or cured in this way.