Posted on 11/12/2023 9:09:10 AM PST by ConservativeMind
Researchers have discovered a link between obesity and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease.
Using the fruit fly, the research shows that a high-sugar diet—a hallmark of obesity—causes insulin resistance in the brain, which in turn reduces the ability to remove neuronal debris, thus increasing the risk of neurodegeneration.
Although obesity is known to be a risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, exactly how one leads to the other remains a mystery.
The study focused on this by taking advantage of the similarity between humans and fruit flies. Having previously shown that a high-sugar diet leads to insulin resistance in the peripheral organs of flies, the researchers now turned to their brains. Specifically, they examined glial cells because microglial dysfunction is known to lead to neural degeneration.
Levels of the protein PI3k indicate how much a cell is able to respond to insulin. The researchers found that the high sugar diet led to reduced PI3k levels in glial cells, indicating insulin resistance. They also looked at the fly equivalent of microglia, called ensheathing glia, whose primary function is to remove neural debris, such as degenerating axons.
They observed that these glia had low levels of the protein Draper, indicating impaired function. Further tests revealed that artificial reduction of PI3k levels led to both insulin resistance and low Draper levels in ensheathing glia. Finally, they showed that after actually damaging olfactory neurons, the ensheathing glia could not remove the degenerating axons in the flies on the high sugar diet because their Draper levels did not increase.
The authors add, "Using fruit flies, the authors establish that high-sugar diets trigger insulin resistance in glia, disrupting their ability to clear neuronal debris. This study provides insight into how obesity-inducing diets potentially contribute to the increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
It is hard for me to believe there is much similarity at all between a human being and a fruit fly.
That’s because you are heartless and don’t care if the poor fruit fly becomes obese and insulin dependent. Can you even imagine the effort it takes him to prick his little legs and use glucose test strips? No, you cannot. And the syringes! I’m not sure they even make them that small.
Yes outwardly fruit flies don’t look anything like humans but there are other factors.
https://www.mpg.de/10973625/why-do-scientists-investigate-fruit-flies
I think it is a mistake to attribute just a high sugar diet, instead of a high carbohydrate diet.
Your body converts carbs into glucose. So many people know the problem with sugar pop sodas and juices, candy and sweets, but do not know the damage in potatoes, pasta, rice and bread. All of these are the equivalent of their weight in candy, cake, jellyrolls, etc.
I am a diabetic. I can’t tell you how many people said I should eat a plate of spaghetti or a subway sandwich or something. or “No, don’t give him a jelly bean! He’s a diabetic!” But in reality, I have to avoid ALL these things like the plague!
Stop eating sugar and don’t be fat.
Then, if you’re lucky you’ll live to be 100+.
I was on my way, then cancer struck.
“Insulin resistance (the inability of insulin to pump enough blood sugar out of circulation into muscles or fat) creates dysfunctions that damage neurons, then damages the body’s ability to fix that damage, it appears.”
They lost me when they used the phrase’
“a high-sugar diet—a hallmark of obesity”
I can use my case, and I’m not alone, and disprove this. Diabetes is not caused exclusively by overweightness. I came back from Alaska Air Command in 1985 and was going through a series of exhaustion, urinary problems, and appetite inconsistencies. I went through the glucose test (the flat doctor pepper) and was determine diabetic, hyper. At that time I was 6 foot 1 inch and weighed 185 pounds, ran 5 miles a day, taught personnel and competed at open devision racquet ball for the military. I couldn’t have been in better shape. My older brother was the same way. He was 6 foot 9 inches and weighted 225 pounds and was working as a boat rowing guide on the snake river in Montana, same situation. Extremely in shape.
My father was adopted and we didn’t know about the diabetes he had. So obesity may be one problem, but it is created by the insulin problem down the road if you are currently taking steps to be in shape. So using it as a catch all is being deceitful.
wy69
You are very unusual. Do you use insulin? Is your blood sugar very high? Obesity is associated with diabetes but observational research is the lowest and most unreliable form of research. Conversely weight loss is associated as becoming more insulin sensitive. On the other hand your pancreas may be in some sort of distress preventing normal insulin production. The doctors should have fully informed you on what condition you are really in. It could be serious or nothing at all.
Do you have type one or type two diabetes? They result in similar problems in the human body, but they are very different in their cause.
“You are very unusual.”
I don’t think so. The only type 2, like myself, got it later in life, over age 35 which is 10 years sooner than the CDC says it should hit. But let’s face it, 98.6 is not everyone’s temp, either.
It has been noted that besides the obvious problems like obesity, there are some other factors that come into play.
“No matter how thin or fit you are, you can still get diabetes. About 10%-15% of people with type II diabetes are at a healthy weight, a condition called lean diabetes. Even if you do not have visible fat, you may have visceral fat, which is fat that grows around your organs. Physical inactivity and certain health problems such as high blood pressure affect your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. But they also fall back on to the family history thing.”
https://www.medicinenet.com/can_a_fit_person_get_diabetes/article.htm
The above is a very interesting article but the main problem with diabetes is that it effects other things in the body that can cause worse problem. Thank you for asking. They are still practicing medicine.
wy69
Prayers up that you’re well now.
You can say that again. My PCP told me to eliminate sugar, bread and pasta. I found workarounds easily for the sugar and pasta, but I bought into the governmental recommendations re: grains since my 30’s. Tried “keto” breads with “resistant starches” and made my own bread products with nut “flours”. Gained 6 lbs and A1c went from 5.9 to 6. How do you replace grain products?
Don’t think I have ever seen a fat fruit fly.
I think insulin resistance is more of a type two diabetes situation, and usually is accompanied by obesity. I don’t know how old you were when diagnosed, but type one diabetes can be diagnosed as late as 40 years of age, and is more of a non or low functioning pancreas, rather than insulin resistance.
Thank you for the input. I was actually diagnosed in my mid 40’s but that doesn’t mean I was clean of the illness before that. That’s just when it was diagnosed.
Surprisingly, as with type 2, people with type 1 may be genetically predisposed to become insulin resistant, or they may develop resistance due to being overweight. Some research indicates that insulin resistance is a factor in cardiovascular disease and other complications in people with type 1.
So there we go with the genes situation that is coming more into focus as the illness is studied. If you have type 2 diabetes, your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, foot problems, eye and kidney disease is increased.
To reduce your risk of developing other serious health conditions, you may be advised to take other medicines, including: anti-hypertensive medicines to control high blood pressure and heart medication along with lasix, one of the most used is furosemide, for water retention as your heart fails from hardening of the arteries and you body doesn’t move fluids like it used to. So a lot of the excess weight in the midriff on many is water and not fat tissue. Yes, as your alternate illnesses come into focus and if you continue to eat normal meals without exercise, you will gain fat tissue also as the Circulation problem is doubled down.
In the more latter stages of heart failure as your heart and arteries harden, your heart will slow down no matter what you do to exercise. My resting heart rate now is 31 bpm. So it isn’t safe for me to have surgery or try to increase my heart rate through exercise. Attack or stroke now. But there are many out there like me so I don’t have a sole grasp on the problem. Day at a time.
wy69
Thank you for the input. I was actually diagnosed in my mid 40’s but that doesn’t mean I was clean of the illness before that. That’s just when it was diagnosed.
Surprisingly, as with type 2, people with type 1 may be genetically predisposed to become insulin resistant, or they may develop resistance due to being overweight. Some research indicates that insulin resistance is a factor in cardiovascular disease and other complications in people with type 1.
So there we go with the genes situation that is coming more into focus as the illness is studied. If you have type 2 diabetes, your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, foot problems, eye and kidney disease is increased.
To reduce your risk of developing other serious health conditions, you may be advised to take other medicines, including: anti-hypertensive medicines to control high blood pressure and heart medication along with lasix, one of the most used is furosemide, for water retention as your heart fails from hardening of the arteries and you body doesn’t move fluids like it used to. So a lot of the excess weight in the midriff on many is water and not fat tissue. Yes, as your alternate illnesses come into focus and if you continue to eat normal meals without exercise, you will gain fat tissue also as the Circulation problem is doubled down.
In the more latter stages of heart failure as your heart and arteries harden, your heart will slow down no matter what you do to exercise. My resting heart rate now is 31 bpm. So it isn’t safe for me to have surgery or try to increase my heart rate through exercise. Attack or stroke now. But there are many out there like me so I don’t have a sole grasp on the problem. Day at a time.
wy69
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