A recent study has uncovered a potential link between high sugar diets and accelerated ageing, in addition to its well-known association with heart disease and type two diabetes. Researchers at the University of Oxford analyzed brain scans from 40,000 people across the UK to identify factors that exacerbate dementia.
The study found that three key risk factors emerged as particularly detrimental: diabetes, air pollution, and alcohol. These were identified after taking into account the effects of age and sex. Dementia is a decline in cognitive functioning that hampers memory, thinking, and decision-making skills, significantly impacting daily life.
Other contributing factors to dementia include blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, smoking, depressive moods, pollution, and lack of sleep. The study’s findings suggest that certain brain regions are more vulnerable to diabetes, traffic-related air pollution, and alcohol. The researchers also discovered several genetic variations that influence this brain network and are linked to various diseases.
While these factors can speed up dementia, it is believed they can be ‘modified’, implying it is not too late to change unhealthy habits.
Source: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/health/dementia-risk-raised-common-food-30491774