How Obesity and Aging Are Linked to Alzheimer's Disease

Washington DC [USA] June 29: A recent study found that the combination of obesity and aging could lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

In addition, researchers from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, discovered that they examined the effects of a diet inducing obesity on insulin signaling. (the process that tells the body how to use sugar) and markers of inflammation and cellular stress.

These factors have been found to be involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease during the aging process in mice. One group of mice received a high fat and high sugar diet ("HFS"), while the control group was on a normal diet.

The researchers measured the inflammation and stress level of animals in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. the brain after 13 weeks on the badigned diets. They compared the brains of older mice to those of a younger set of basic mice. The hippocampus is near the center of the brain and is responsible for long-term memory. The prefrontal cortex, in the front of the brain, monitors complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral function.

Compared to the control group, the HFS group had significantly higher markers of inflammation, insulin resistance (impaired insulin signaling) and cellular stress. The hippocampal areas are considered to be involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The region of the prefrontal cortex of the HFS group had more evidence of insulin resistance, but the inflammation and markers of cellular stress did not change.

Regional differences between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus in response to aging with HFS [indicates] "

The inflammation levels of the control group also increased after the test compared to basic readings. role played in the progression of Alzheimer's disease, and obesity exacerbates the effects of aging on brain function.

"This study provides new information on the mechanistic link between obesity and the pbadage from adulthood to middle age related to [Alzheimer’s] pathology later in life" , writes the research team.

"These findings add to our basic understanding of the pat is very involved in the early progression of pathogenesis [Alzheimer’s] and demonstrates the negative effects of a HFS diet on prefrontal cortex regions and the Hippocampus. "

The study appears in the journal Physiological Reports.