Sugar's 'tipping point' link to Alzheimer's disease revealed

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02/uob-sp022317.php

Public Release: 23-Feb-2017
Sugar's 'tipping point' link to Alzheimer's disease revealed
University of Bath

For the first time a "tipping point" molecular link between the blood sugar glucose and Alzheimer's disease has been established by scientists, who have shown that excess glucose damages a vital enzyme involved with inflammation response to the early stages of Alzheimer's.

Abnormally high blood sugar levels, or hyperglycaemia, is well-known as a characteristic of diabetes and obesity, but its link to Alzheimer's disease is less familiar.

Diabetes patients have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to healthy individuals. In Alzheimer's disease abnormal proteins aggregate to form plaques and tangles in the brain which progressively damage the brain and lead to severe cognitive decline.

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