What if your plate directly and negatively influenced your brain and memory over the long term? Recent work links variations in blood sugar after a meal to the appearance of cognitive disorders.
A team from the University of Liverpool has looked into this question by exploiting the genetic information of more than 350,000 people from the UK Biobank, a major British medical database.
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For this analysis, the scientists used a method called Mendelian randomization. This makes it possible to check whether a factor, like blood glucose, plays a direct causal role and not just an associative one. This genetic approach made it possible to examine several markers linked to the body's management of sugar, notably levels measured two hours after a meal.
The data obtained show that individuals with high glucose levels after eating present a 69% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. This association seems independent of other factors like a general reduction in brain volume, which suggests distinct biological mechanisms that remain to be clarified.
The study's authors specify that this rise in post-meal glucose could affect the brain via specific biological pathways, different from those involved in usual type 2 diabetes. These observations could thus guide future prevention approaches, by emphasizing the management of blood sugar after meals. However, confirmation of these results in other population groups remains an important step.
This work, published in
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, therefore opens a concrete path for addressing brain health.
Postprandial blood glucose: an underappreciated indicator
Postprandial blood glucose corresponds to the blood glucose level measured after a meal. Unlike fasting blood glucose, it reflects the body's ability to manage the influx of sugar from food. A rapid and pronounced increase can signal insulin resistance, even in the absence of confirmed diabetes.
This measurement is often used in glucose tolerance tests to estimate the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It evolves depending on the meal's composition, physical activity, and individual characteristics. Optimal regulation of these spikes is important for maintaining a balanced metabolism.
From a physiological standpoint, high glucose levels after meals can cause oxidative stress and inflammation. These phenomena are likely to damage blood vessels and cells, including those in the brain, thus potentially impairing cognitive functions in the long term.