Sugary beverages are part of the American way of life, but five or more cans a day may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
The research team, using mice genetically predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, added a 10 percent solution of sugar water to the diet of half the mice being tested. Over 25 weeks, the sugar-water mice gained 17 percent more weight than the controls. They also developed insulin resistance and had a higher cholesterol count.
When tested for mental function, the sugar-water mice scored lower on tests for memory retention and learning ability. Upon examination of their brains, they showed more than twice the amyloid plaque deposits found in the controls. In the brains of humans with Alzheimer’s, beta-amyloids are the sticky proteins that form plaque deposits. A prior study in 2006 also connected obesity with Alzheimer’s.
The researchers are not sure whether Alzheimer’s symptoms were due to the sugar water itself or to the combination of diabetes and obesity, which are known Alzheimer’s risk factors. They said, however, that the study highlights the “potential risk of sugary beverages.” The amount of sugar water fed to the mice is roughly equivalent to humans drinking five cans of soda a day. The researchers said, “Although since mice have a higher metabolism, it may actually take less sugar intake in humans.”
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