2024-07-17 04:20:20
Poor nutrition is an important factor in the development of many diseases. One food in particular is harmful to the brain.
In Germany, 1.8 million people live with dementia. The risk of developing the disease increases with age. While less than three percent of people aged 65 to 70 suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia, around one in five people aged 85 and one in three people aged 90 and over are affected.
40 percent of dementia cases are preventable. Risk factors that can be influenced include smoking, stress, obesity, lack of exercise, and sugar consumption. The German Society of Neurology (DGN) and the German Brain Foundation are drawing attention to this on the occasion of World Brain Day next week.
They see sugar as a “neurotoxic” substance. The president of the German Brain Foundation, Frank Erbguth, explains: “Of course, the dose makes the poison, because the brain, as the body’s highest performance organ, needs glucose to function.” This is the reason why people with low blood sugar faint.
“But if blood sugar levels are permanently increased by eating too many and too large meals and by constantly snacking, we are pushing the cup over the top and fueling the development of neurological diseases, especially dementia and strokes,” says Erbguth. A recent meta-analysis found that mental performance increases briefly in the two to twelve hours after consuming sugar. However, long-term sugar consumption causes lasting damage to cognitive functions.
There are two main reasons for this: high blood sugar levels damage the brain vessels and lead to deposits on the vessel walls, which narrow the vessels and reduce the blood supply and thus the supply of nutrients to the brain cells, according to the companies’ press release.
Depending on which area of the brain is affected by the lack of blood supply, vascular dementia can even develop. This disease, which occurs due to impaired blood circulation in the brain, is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s in Germany.
But sugar does even more damage to the brain. The molecules impair the function of synapses, i.e. the switching points between nerve cells. In doing so, they damage what is known as neuronal plasticity. This is the ability of nerve cells and brain areas to adapt and expand when necessary – important for cognitive development and learning.
And last but not least: a diet rich in sugar can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. This disease is associated with a significantly increased risk of dementia.
Every German consumes around 33 kilograms of sugar per year. That is about 90 grams per day. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends that only a maximum of ten percent of the total daily calorie intake should come from sugar. With an average requirement of 2,000 calories, that would be only 50 grams per day and 18 kilos per year. This includes not only added sugar, but also naturally occurring sugar, for example in fruit, honey or juices.
The DGN and the German Brain Foundation recommend conscious consumption of as little sugar as possible. DGN Secretary General Peter Berlit explains: “The effort is worth it. 40 percent of all dementia cases and 90 percent of all strokes are preventable and many of them are due to industrial sugar.”
The World Health Organization recommends a sugar tax. Great Britain has already introduced one for soft drinks. The introduction of such a tax is also being discussed in Germany.