Alzheimer’s disease is the most common condition that affects the brain and leads to dementia in older people worldwide.
Despite over twenty years of research, scientists still do not fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s and have not found a cure.
Two main ideas have been suggested to explain what might cause Alzheimer’s. One idea is that a protein called amyloid-beta builds up in the brain and causes the disease.
The other, newer idea is that problems with how cells produce energy, specifically in parts of the cell called mitochondria, are to blame.
A recent study from Yale-NUS College supports the second idea. The researchers found evidence that problems with metabolism, especially in mitochondria, are a main cause of Alzheimer’s. They discovered these metabolic problems happen long before there is a significant build-up of amyloid-beta in the brain.
The research team used a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans in their experiments. These worms are useful because their cells work in similar ways to human cells. The scientists observed that the worms had metabolic problems before they showed any signs of protein build-up.
An important finding from the study was that treating the worms with a common diabetes drug called Metformin helped fix these metabolic problems. After treatment, the worms had better health and lived longer.
Based on these results, the researchers believe it might be better to focus on preventing Alzheimer’s by addressing metabolic issues, especially in mitochondria, early on. They think that treating these problems before amyloid-beta builds up could be more effective.
The researchers suggest that metabolic and mitochondrial problems are a normal part of aging. Diseases that depend on age, like Alzheimer’s, might be better understood as parts of the aging process. So, instead of treating diseases individually after they appear, it might be easier to target the basic processes of aging.
The study was led by Jan Gruber and published in the scientific journal eLife. This research offers a new perspective on how we might tackle Alzheimer’s disease by focusing on the root causes linked to aging and metabolism.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about Vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and Oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and results showing flavonoid-rich foods could improve survival in Parkinson’s disease.
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