General Health
Sugary beverages increase risk of Alzheimer's disease
By David Liu
Dec 9, 2007 - 5:49:21 PM

SUNDAY DEC 9, 2007 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Drinking sugary beverages like soda may increase risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the Dec. 14, 2007 issue of Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Ling Li and colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted the study in a genetic mouse model that develops Alzheimer's - like symptoms in adulthood.

In the study, half of the mice were fed a regular and balanced diet with 10% sugar water for 25 weeks.  Half of the mice were fed the regular diet only for the same period.

The sugar-fed mice gained about 17 percent more weight than the controls, had higher cholesterol, and developed insulin resistance.

In addition, the sugar-fed mice also had worse learning ability and memory retention and their brains gained more than twice as much of amyloid plague deposits, which are believed to cause Alzheimer's in humans.

The amount of sugar the mice used is equivalent to about 5 cans of soda per day for humans.

The researchers speculated that the association between sugar use and increased risk of Alzheimer’s could be mediated through obesity and diabetes associated with using sugary beverages.  

Although they did not know how exactly sugar increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, they said the finding highlights the potential risk of sugary beverages.

Li Ling and colleagues concluded "These data underscore the potential role of dietary sugar in the pathogenesis of AD and suggest that controlling the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may be an effective way to curtail the risk of developing AD."

Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 4.5 million of Americans, according to U.S Department of Health and Human Services. There is no cure for this disease.

Source:

Dongfeng Cao, Hailin Lu, Terry L. Lewis, and Ling Li
Intake of Sucrose-sweetened Water Induces Insulin Resistance and Exacerbates Memory Deficits and Amyloidosis in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer Disease
J. Biol. Chem. 2007 282: 36275-36282. First Published on October 17, 2007; doi:10.1074/jbc.M703561200