The Aging Brain And Sugar Consumption
One of the more important concerns of aging relates to its effects on our
brains. We have heard that the exercise slogan “use it or lose it” also applies to our brains.
In the famous nun study published many years ago, it was determined that those nuns who were intellectually stimulated, kept a daily journal, remained interested and active in various pursuits and were physically active also, fared well brain-wise even into their late nineties.
In recent studies a link has been established between high sugar consumption and damage to our brains. This is bad news for the avowed owner of an overactive sweet tooth such as myself.
In one study of over 900 elderly people over a four year period, the ones with the greatest intake of calories from these sources were found to have increased their incidences of dementia by a rate of 50%. What could be the problem with enjoying lots of sweets and carbohydrates?
Several scientific reasons were brought to light
- High sugar intake causes a dramatic increase in a person’s metabolism, and this in turn is a major source of the production of free radicals which damage cells and negatively affect their functions.
- The high sugar levels then react with a variety of critical proteins in the body as well as with the enzymes that repair the DNA damage caused by free radicals.
- Now if a person has continuing high sugar ingestion, the cells will be prevented from absorbing the sugar in order to produce energy and he or she will have a condition known as insulin resistance.
- Recently in another study, people with Alzheimer’s dementia were found to have a high incidence of insulin resistance. This seems to indicate that there could be a link between high sugar consumption and dementia.
As we have been told so much lately in the news, the worst possible form of sugar is high fructose corn syrup which seems to be in most of the packaged cookies, crackers, snacks, sweet cereals, jellies, candies and baked goods sold in stores.
Can’t teach an old dog new tricks
Don’t believe that “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks” line. We can tame that implacable sugar monster if we are intentional about it. We have much wisdom gained with age and experience and with some determined and informed resolve. There is much more depth to our lives than simply gratifying our cravings; this is true in every area of our lives.
One thing we need to consider is that while we would eventually neither be aware of nor perhaps care at all about the changes in our brain after a certain point in the decline, but our loved ones will be the very people forced to deal with this sorrowful ordeal, so we must choose wisely and lovingly; a high sugar diet or our health and our families’ peace of mind.
As you read this you can’t imagine how you would live without your sugar! I hope you can see that it is not only essential but also worth the sacrifice to dramatically reduce the sugar and simple carbohydrate consumption if you hope to cut in half your chances of getting this ravaging disease.
We can truly learn to really enjoy all kinds of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole-grains, and whole grain baked goods while flourishing with health and potentially sparing our loved ones the sorrow of watching us become an empty shell of what we once were; should we acquire dementia.
“We can do it with the Lord’s help!”
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