Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/602310
Page 48 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com A toxic protein called ADDL removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, thereby rendering those neurons insulin resistant, and as ADDLs accumulate, your memory begins to deteriorate. Previous research has also shown diabetics have a doubled risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Now, researchers are again warning that Alzheimer's appears to be intricately linked to insulin resistance. In one recent study, the researchers used brain scans to assess 150 middle-aged people who were at risk of Alzheimer's but showed no signs of it at the outset of the study. As reported by The Huffington Post: "Brain scans revealed that greater insulin resistance was linked to less sugar in key parts of the brain, often affected by Alzheimer's. Insulin is the hormone that helps your body use sugar from the foods you eat, and either converts it into energy or stores it away. Insulin resistance is when your body's response to a regular level of the hormone is reduced, creating a need for more insulin. 'If you don't have as much fuel, you're not going to be as adept at remembering something or doing something,' the study's lead author Auriel Willette... 'This is important with Alzheimer's disease, because over the course of the disease there is a progressive decrease in the amount of blood sugar used in certain brain regions. Those regions end up using less and less. When this happens, the study's authors believe, certain parts of the brain can't carry out complex processes, like forming memories." Alzheimer's and Heart Disease Share Risk Factors Insulin resistance also raises your risk for heart Alzheimer's A Disease Fed by Sugar High-Sugar Diet Raises Your Risk of Alzheimer's Mounting research suggests our modern diet is playing a significant role in the skyrocketing prevalence of Alzheimer's. Processed foods tend to be nearly devoid of healthy fat while being excessive in sugar, and this combination appears to be at the heart of the problem. Most people (especially Americans) are on a processed food diet, and this virtually guarantees you'll end up getting inverted ratios of carbs and fats, not to mention both are typically inferior due to processing and adulteration. The connection between sugar and Alzheimer's was first broached in 2005, when the disease was tentatively dubbed "type 3 diabetes." At that time researchers discovered that your brain produces insulin necessary for the survival of your brain cells. Story at-a-glance • Mounting research suggests Alzheimer's disease is intricately connected to insulin resistance; even mild elevation of blood sugar is associated with an elevated risk for dementia • Diabetics have double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Heart disease also elevates your risk, as all three conditions are rooted in insulin resistance • Three new studies looking at exercise and Alzheimer's show that not only can exercise reduce your risk of the disease, it appears to be an important part of treatment as well