Kick sugar addiction to lower dementia risk
DEAR DOCTOR: I recently saw a TV show in which a physician said sweets cause dementia. Is this true? As a sweet-aholic, I hope not.
DEAR READER: There are definite health consequences of sucrose — an increased risk of diabetes and a direct connection to weight gain — plus less tangible dangers, including metabolic changes, heart disease risk and a potential link to cancer.
While some can indulge in sweets with relative control, others cannot. The problem for everyone is that, as we grow older, our ability to process sugars declines, leading to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes, among other things.
The dementia connection has to do with how our brains receive nutrients and oxygen. While many large blood vessels supply blood flow to the brain, equally important are the small blood vessels that nourish the neurons. Small blood vessels are quite susceptible to injury, especially those caused by high blood pressure and diabetes. That’s why people with poorly controlled diabetes are at risk for slowto-heal ulcerations: The small vessel disease in the lower legs leads to poor blood flow and
nerve dysfunction. Similarly, poorly controlled diabetes can also lead to small blood vessel disease in the brain and the death of neurons. Multiple epidemiologic studies have shown a correlation between diabetes and dementia, as have MRI studies in animals.
Eating sweets also increases the likelihood of obesity, and midlife obesity itself has been correlated with dementia. What appears more likely is that obesity increases the risk of hypertension and sleep apnea, both of which increase the risk of dementia.
I understand that sweets bring pleasure and that telling people they shouldn’t eat them seems cruel, but when you look at how much damage sweets create in both the body and mind, as a doctor, I find it difficult to condone their consumption.
Kicking this addiction will lead to improved physical and mental health and lower your risk for dementia.
Robert Ashley, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o Media Relations, UCLA Health, 924 Westwood Blvd., Suite 350, Los Angeles, CA 90095.