Scientists have long been trying to figure out what causes Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a serious illness that mainly affects older people, making them lose their memory and their ability to think clearly.
It is the most common form of dementia and the most widespread brain disease linked to aging. In places like Singapore, about one in ten people over 60 has some form of dementia.
Even though researchers around the world have studied Alzheimer’s for over 20 years, they still do not fully understand what causes it. There is also no cure yet.
For a long time, many believed that Alzheimer’s happens because of a buildup of a sticky substance called amyloid-beta in the brain. This substance forms clumps, known as plaques, that stop the brain from working properly.
But recently, a different idea has been gaining attention. Some scientists now think that the problem may actually start with the way cells produce energy, not just with the plaques. Inside each cell are tiny structures called mitochondria.
These mitochondria act like batteries, creating the energy that cells need to survive. If something goes wrong with the mitochondria, the whole cell can start to fail.
A recent study from Yale-NUS College provides strong support for this new theory. The researchers found signs that energy problems in cells showed up much earlier than the buildup of amyloid-beta.
In fact, the changes in how the cells used energy appeared long before any serious plaques could be seen. This suggests that if we focus on fixing these energy problems early, we might be able to prevent or slow down Alzheimer’s before it gets worse.
To study this, the team used a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans. Even though these worms are very small and simple, they share many basic biological features with humans. Scientists often use them to study human diseases because they grow quickly and are easy to work with in the lab.
One exciting part of the study was the discovery that a common diabetes drug called Metformin could help. When the worms with energy problems were treated with Metformin, their cells’ energy production returned to normal. Even more impressive, the treated worms lived longer and stayed healthier compared to those that were not treated.
This finding is very important. It suggests that fixing problems with how cells make energy might be a better strategy for fighting Alzheimer’s than waiting until memory loss and brain damage have already happened.
It also fits into a bigger idea that many diseases of old age might actually start because of the way our bodies age overall, not because of one single cause. If scientists can find ways to keep our cells healthy as we get older, we might be able to prevent not only Alzheimer’s but also many other age-related diseases.
The study, led by Jan Gruber and published in the journal eLife, offers a new direction for Alzheimer’s research. Instead of only focusing on clearing away plaques from the brain, future treatments might aim to keep the cells’ energy systems working properly. This could lead to better ways to protect memory and thinking skills as people age.
In the end, this research shows how connected everything in the body is. Brain health depends not just on the brain itself, but on the health of every cell in the body. Taking care of our bodies as a whole — and making sure our cells have the energy they need — might be the best way to stay sharp and healthy in later life.
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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