Latest news with #PankajKapahi
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Scientists just found a sugar switch that 'protects your brain from Alzheimer's'
The lead author of a new study believes "our brain's hidden sugar code could unlock powerful tools for combating dementia" Brits with a sweet-tooth might actively try to curb temptation when they feel they have been raiding the cupboards or sweetie drawer too much. However, did you know sugar could actually hold a major brain benefit? Scientists have uncovered a surprising sugar-related mechanism inside brain cells that could transform how we fight Alzheimer's and other dementias. In Scotland, an estimated 90,000 people are living with dementia, and approximately 66 per cent of those have Alzheimer's disease, according to Alzheimer's Research UK. Now, a new study from scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging has revealed a surprising player in the battle against Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia - brain sugar metabolism. Published in Nature Metabolism, the research uncovers how breaking down glycogen - a stored form of glucose - in neurons may protect the brain from toxic protein build-up and degeneration. Glycogen is typically thought of as a reserve energy source stored in the liver and muscles. While small amounts also exist in the brain, its role in neurons has long been dismissed. "This new study challenges that view, and it does so with striking implications," says Professor Pankaj Kapahi, PhD, senior scientist on the study. "Stored glycogen doesn't just sit there in the brain; it is involved in pathology." The researchers discovered that in both fly and human models of tauopathy (a group of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's), neurons accumulate excessive glycogen. More importantly, this build-up appears to contribute to disease progression. But tau, the protein that clumps into tangles in Alzheimer's patients, appears to physically bind to glycogen, trapping it and preventing its breakdown. When glycogen can't be broken down, the neurons lose an essential mechanism for managing oxidative stress, a key feature in aging and neurodegeneration. By restoring the activity of an enzyme called glycogen phosphorylase (GlyP), researchers found they could reduce tau-related damage in fruit flies and human stem cell-derived neurons. "By increasing GlyP activity, the brain cells could better detoxify harmful reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing damage and even extending the lifespan of tauopathy model flies," said postdoc Sudipta Bar. Even more promising, the team demonstrated that restricting one's diet naturally enhanced GlyP activity and improved tau-related outcomes in flies. They further mimicked these effects and showed that the benefits of DR might be reproduced through drug-based activation of this sugar-clearing system. "This work could explain why GLP-1 drugs, now widely used for weight loss, show promise against dementia, potentially by mimicking dietary restriction," said Kapahi. "Work in this simple animal allowed us to move into human neurons in a much more targeted way." Kapahi says this study not only highlights glycogen metabolism as an unexpected hero in the brain but also opens up a new direction in the search for treatments against Alzheimer's and related diseases. "As we continue to age as a society, findings like these offer hope that better understanding - and perhaps rebalancing - our brain's hidden sugar code could unlock powerful tools for combating dementia," he added. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Researchers pinpoint diet followed by millions that may ward off dementia
Cutting back on carbohydrates could potentially stave off Alzheimer's, researchers suggested today. Calling the strategy a 'powerful tool for combatting dementia', they showed reducing the amount of blood sugar in the brain via diet could slash the number of harmful proteins that trigger dementia symptoms. Carbohydrates are converted to a type of sugar called glycogen, which is a form of energy that's used by the brain to function. While a small amount is needed, the California-based researchers discovered that an excess can bind to a toxic protein in the brain called tau, stopping it from breaking down. Significant clumps of this protein, as well as another—amyloid—can form plaques and tangles—and this is thought to be behind the symptoms of Alzheimer's, the leading cause of dementia. The latest experiments found high levels of enzymes that break down glycogen in the brain could help destroy the build-up of tau. And eating fewer carbohydrates, the researchers, said was an effective way to increase the presence of this enzyme. Professor Pankaj Kapahi, an expert in metabolism and brain ageing at the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing in California and study co-author, said the team may have uncovered a new 'therapeutic strategy' to tackle dementia early-on. He added: 'As we continue to age as a society, findings like these offer hope that better understanding our brain's hidden sugar code could unlock powerful tools for combating dementia.' In the new study on fruit flies, the scientists found when glycogen can't be broken down, brain cells lose an essential mechanism for managing oxidative stress that ultimately kills them. But, by restoring the activity of an enzyme called glycogen phosphorylase (GlyP)—which triggers glycogen breakdown—they could reduce this damage. Writing in the journal Nature Metabolism, they said that by restricting certain foods that are converted to glycogen such as carbohydrates, GlyP activity is 'enhanced' and sugar levels in the brain reduced. Professor Pankaj Kapahi also said: 'This work could explain why GLP-1 drugs, now widely used for weight loss, show promise against dementia, potentially by mimicking dietary restriction.' Slimming injections, known medically as GLP-1 drugs, have ushered in a new era in the war on obesity. The treatment spurs weight loss by mimicking the actions of a hormone released in the gut after eating—GLP-1. As well as telling the pancreas to make more insulin, the GLP-1 hormone feeds back to the brain and makes us feel full—stopping patients from over-eating. The team hopes that by raising awareness of risk factors—which change as we age—people can take steps to reduce their chances of getting the disease. It comes as a landmark study last July suggested almost half of all Alzheimer's cases could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors from childhood. World-leading experts found two new risk factors—high cholesterol and suffering vision loss—were, combined, behind almost one in ten dementia cases globally. They join 12 existing factors, ranging from genetics to smoking status, that experts have identified as increasing the risk a person would suffer dementia. Experts claimed the study, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, provided more hope than 'ever before' that the memory-robbing disorder that blights the lives of millions can be tackled. Recent analysis by the Alzheimer's Society estimates the overall annual cost of the dementia to the UK is £42billion a year, with families bearing the brunt. An ageing population means these costs—which include lost earnings of unpaid carers—are set to soar to £90billion in the next 15 years. Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 982,000 people in the UK. Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time. Alzheimer's Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country's biggest killer.
