Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that causes memory loss and cognitive decline, mostly affects older adults. It is the most common form of dementia and the leading neurodegenerative disease worldwide.
For example, in Singapore, one in ten people over 60 is estimated to have some form of dementia. Despite years of research, the exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unclear, and there is still no cure.
For a long time, scientists believed that Alzheimer’s was mainly caused by the buildup of a protein called amyloid-beta in the brain. This protein forms clumps, or plaques, that disrupt normal brain functions. However, a newer theory is gaining attention.
This idea suggests that Alzheimer’s may start with problems in how cells produce and use energy. These problems seem to come from the mitochondria, the parts of cells that act like tiny power plants, supplying energy for the body’s processes.
A recent study by researchers at Yale-NUS College supports this new theory. The team found evidence that problems with metabolism—how the body processes energy—happen much earlier than the buildup of amyloid-beta plaques.
These findings suggest that fixing these metabolic problems early could help prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers used a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans in their study. Although these worms are simple organisms, they share many biological similarities with humans.
This makes them a popular choice for studying human diseases in a laboratory setting. The worms helped the researchers observe how metabolic problems occur and develop over time.
One of the most exciting discoveries from the study was that a common diabetes drug, Metformin, could fix the metabolic problems in the worms.
When the worms were treated with Metformin, their energy production returned to normal, and their health and lifespan improved. This finding opens the door to exploring whether similar treatments could work in humans.
This study has significant implications for how we think about Alzheimer’s. Instead of focusing only on amyloid-beta plaques or treating the disease after symptoms appear, researchers now see potential in addressing metabolic and mitochondrial issues much earlier.
This approach could also apply to other age-related diseases, as these conditions are often linked to the natural process of aging.
By understanding and targeting these underlying problems, scientists hope to take a more preventive approach. This could mean slowing down or even stopping the development of Alzheimer’s and other diseases linked to aging before they cause serious damage.
The research, led by Jan Gruber and published in the journal eLife, challenges long-standing ideas about Alzheimer’s. It highlights the importance of maintaining metabolic health to protect the brain as we age.
This holistic view shows how interconnected our body’s systems are, emphasizing that improving overall health could be key to tackling complex diseases like Alzheimer’s.
This breakthrough offers hope for new treatment strategies, suggesting that focusing on the root causes of aging might help us fight not only Alzheimer’s but other chronic diseases associated with getting older.
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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