Carole Orem, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist who runs her private practice in South Portland, Maine. Alongside her clinical practice, she also serves as the owner of WholeBrainMaine, a brain-based health coaching practice. Through her services, Dr. Carole Orem assists seniors in preserving and improving their brain function throughout the aging process, working to prevent issues related to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by a decline in cognitive ability and memory due to chemical changes in the brain. While people who are older than 65 have a relatively high dementia risk, another significant cause is excessive sugar in the bloodstream, either due to high sugar consumption or diabetes.
Sugar is necessary for the proper functioning of the brain, and healthy carbohydrate consumption is enough to supply the brain with the required energy. High levels of sugar in the blood do the opposite. One common cause of excessive sugar in the blood is alcohol consumption since alcohol is a form of sugar.
High blood sugar levels impair communication between brain cells, which can contribute to Alzheimer’s. Excessive sugar can also cause another form of dementia known as vascular dementia, which occurs when high blood sugar restricts blood flow in tiny blood vessels in the brain. Inadequate blood flow to the brain leads to starvation of brain cells and consequent shrinkage of affected brain parts.
Avoiding excess sugar consumption can help reduce the risk of developing dementia. This is achievable through a healthy diet including little to no consumption of alcohol.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most prevalent form of dementia, is а degenerative illness marked by а gradual decline in memory and cognitive abilities that interferes with even basic communication skills. Currently, around six million Americans are affected by the disease, with the majority being aged 75 and above. While age, genetics, and the environment are risk factors, scientific research has established а strong correlation between lifestyle elements, such as chronic stress, smoking, and diet.
According to Psychiatrist.com, research suggests that excessive intake of fructose, a variety of sugar, can cause Alzheimer’s. This prolonged consumption leads to the brain’s perpetual craving for sugary and fatty foods, increasing fructose production, neural inflammation, and conditions promoting Alzheimer’s. This theory is substantiated by research on laboratory rats, which demonstrated that а continuous diet of fructose led to the development of proteins in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s.
High-sugar diets also lead to insulin resistance, another contributor to AD. Insulin helps regulate glucose uptake for cellular energy in the brain. However, excessive sugar intake and an inactive lifestyle can cause insulin resistance, reducing cells’ sensitivity to insulin signals.
When cells, including brain cells, become insulin-resistant, they cannot absorb glucose efficiently and thus become weak. This weakening disrupts the regulation of the formation of beta-amyloid, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s that can accumulate in the brain.
To enhance insulin sensitivity and counteract insulin resistance, experts recommend adopting healthy habits such as regular physical exercise, which helps cells absorb blood sugar. Maintaining а healthy weight, reducing stress, and ensuring adequate sleep can also contribute to improved insulin sensitivity.
Alzheimer’s may also result from gut inflammation due to high sugar intake. Consuming food high in simple, added sugars can increase pathogenic bacteria in the gut lining, causing it to break down and become more permeable or leaky. When the gut becomes leaky, harmful particles like microbes and toxins can pass through its walls and enter the bloodstream. These unwanted particles can easily spread to the brain, causing cognitive dysfunction.
High sugar intake can also boost the production of reactive oxygen species, harmful molecules that hinder the body’s ability to neutralize oxidants generated by cellular metabolic activity. These molecules can damage brain cells and disrupt normal cognitive functioning, leading to Alzheimer’s. Moreover, excessive sugar intake can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, а disruption in the normal functioning of organelles responsible for cellular energy supply. This dysfunction can promote the accumulation of аmyloid beta, contributing to the development and progression of Alzheimer’s.
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are harmful compounds that form when sugars react with proteins or fats in the body. Accumulation of AGEs in the brain can contribute to the formation of plaques (abnormal clusters of protein fragments between brain cells) and tangles (twisted protein fibers), which serve as biomarkers for degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes.
Reducing sugar intake is essential for Alzheimer’s prevention. Individuals should avoid processed and packaged foods high in added sugar content to lower insulin resistance and inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s. They should also avoid sweetened drinks and artificial food sweeteners that can disrupt gut microorganisms and cause inflammation. Instead, whole fruits can be ideal for sweetening food since they are rich in fiber, minerals, and other nutrients crucial for brain health.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common of all dementia disorders. There is scientific research that suggests a significant link between Diabetes and the development of Alzheimer’s.
Dementia refers to conditions impairing a patient’s ability to think, make decisions, and remember aspects of daily life. Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain’s parts that manage language, thoughts, and memory. Initially, it starts as memory loss but may soon affect one’s ability to talk and interact with the immediate environment.
Diabetes is a condition where the body can’t produce enough insulin or does not utilize it effectively. Insulin helps the body convert sugar from food into energy. Energy fuels our body including our brain. To establish the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, it is important to understand the mechanics of diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition where the body can’t effectively manage blood sugar levels, either resulting from poor insulin production or an inability to use the insulin efficiently. There are two types. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune response that attacks cells in the pancreas, resulting in low or no insulin production. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is normal but still can’t synthesize enough insulin to manage blood sugar. Also, the body’s cells don’t absorb sugar or convert it into glucose as they should.
Because the body doesn’t effectively manage blood sugar levels in both diabetes types, various bodily functions, among them brain functions such as thinking and memory are affected. Importantly, memory loss and impaired thinking characterize Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, researchers have studied and reported the role diabetes may play in developing the condition.
Notably, there are different reasons diabetes affects brain functions, including insulin resistance which happens when body cells can’t convert sugar into energy despite insulin’s presence. Other contributing factors include blood vessel damage, blocked brain nerve cell communication, and entangled tau protein cells.
When sugar cannot be converted into energy, body cells, including brain cells, don’t function optimally because they are not getting enough fuel. Abnormal brain cell functioning affects processes such as brain chemical balance. Additionally, while insulin controls blood sugar, the brain also participates in this process, as with other bodily functions. Hence, insulin resistance and the resultant increased blood sugar can disturb the chemical balance of the brain. The evidence of the impact of insulin resistance and high blood sugar on Alzheimer’s is so strong that many researchers believe this form of Alzheimer’s should be referred to as “Type 3 diabetes.”
Diabetes may also lead to blood vessel damage. High blood sugar levels characteristic of diabetes may lead to plaque build-up in blood vessels, narrowing them and restricting blood flow. Consequently, the heart pumps blood harder than before to deliver more blood to various body parts, resulting in high blood pressure, which may rupture and destroy blood vessels.
When blood vessels in the brain rupture, they lead to many central nervous system malfunctions and disorders, including stroke. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, the ruptured vessels may include those transporting blood to areas of the brain that manage and control thought, memory, and language.
Other impacts of high blood sugar include studies that report high blood sugar leading to high levels of beta-amyloid, a protein that triggers Alzheimer’s disease and its progression. For patients with diabetes, beta-amyloid cells may clump together and get stuck in brain nerve cells, affecting brain signal transmission. Blocked brain nerve cell communication is a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition, high blood sugar entangles tau protein cells leading to crooked pathways and dead cells. Tau proteins help maintain straight pathways as cells transport food and other supplies. Research claims that some patients with diabetes have many entangled tau protein cells in their brains which, by killing cells that control thought, memory, and language may lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
A licensed clinical psychologist in South Portland, Maine, Dr. Carole Orem is the owner of the brain-based coaching practice WholeBrainMaine. In this role, Dr. Carole Orem provides services to help seniors preserve and enhance brain function as they age.
Limiting sugar intake plays a key role in sustaining brain function and preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Because excessive sugar damages the brain by slowing blood flow to the brain, many scientists dub Alzheimer’s “Diabetes Type 3.” Seniors who wish to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s might consider reducing their sugar consumption, which includes alcohol.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies show that alcohol use has increased by approximately 20 percent. As the Baby Boomer generation (people born roughly from years 1946 through 1964) ages, they will need to limit their consumption of alcohol and processed foods to slow age-related cognitive decline. Additionally, preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s requires managing stress, getting enough sleep, and incorporating healthy movement into daily life.
Dr. Carole Orem-Hough 
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