Eating High Sugar Foods Such As Cake And Chocolate May Increase Your Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease, Study Suggests | HuffPost Life

Could Eating Cake Increase Your Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease?

Rachel Moss— The Huffington Post UK

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If you've got a sweet tooth, prepare for some bad news.

New research suggests foods high in sugar, such as chocolate and cake, may increase an individual's risk of Alzheimer's disease later in life.

A study conducted by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine found that mice with high levels of blood sugar also had increased levels of amyloid beta, which is found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, states that high blood sugar levels could have "harmful effects on brain function" and potentially increase the likelihood of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

According to The Telegraph, study author Shannon Macauley says a link between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes can also be drawn from the results, as people with diabetes tend to have high blood sugar levels.

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"Our results suggest that diabetes, or other conditions that make it hard to control blood sugar levels, can have harmful effects on brain function and exacerbate neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease," said Macauley.

"This observation opens up a new avenue of exploration for how Alzheimer’s disease develops in the brain and offers a new therapeutic target for the treatment of this devastating neurologic disorder."

This isn't the first study to suggest that sugar consumption can affect cognitive decline, either.

A 2013 study from Charite University of Medicine in Berlin found that raised blood sugar may lead to memory problems even in people with no signs of diabetes.

A total of 141 people had brain scans in the study. The results showed that the hippocampus brain region, which is important to memory, was smaller in those with higher blood sugar levels.

Time to cut out the cake?

10 Symptoms For Alzheimer's

Misplacing things(01 of10)

People with Alzheimer's may put things in unusual places. They may lose things and also accuse others of stealing. This may become more and more frequent. (credit:ladi59 via Getty Images)

Finding it difficult to complete home tasks (02 of10)

The Alzheimer's Association says that people who have the illness will find it difficult to complete daily tasks - this could range from cleaning to forgetting the rules of a game played regularly. (credit:Alexandra Grablewski via Getty Images)

Confusion with time or places.(03 of10)

The Alzheimer's Association says that people who have the condition can lose track of time, dates and seasons.Sufferers may have trouble understanding things if they are not happening promptly. They may also lose track of where they are and how they got there. (credit:mediaphotos via Getty Images)

Problems with speaking or writing (04 of10)

According to the Alzheimer's Association, people suffering from this type of dementia may find it difficult joining a conversation - they may also stop in the middle of conversations and don't know how to start againWriting coherently can also be a problem. (credit:Nick Dolding via Getty Images)

Finding it hard to read and understand visual images.(05 of10)

The Alzheimer's Association claim that people may find it hard to read or understand certain images if suffering from the disease. They also may find it difficult to determine colour or contrast, which may stop them from driving. (credit:Rob Lewine via Getty Images)

Solving problems.(06 of10)

Sufferers may feel changes in their ability to follow a plan or work with numbers. They'll probably have trouble following a basic recipe, or keeping track of monthly bills.They might find it difficult to concentrate and take much longer to do things than they did before.Source: Alzheimer's Association (credit:Martin Barraud via Getty Images)

Withdrawel from social activities.(07 of10)

Someone with Alzheimer's may remove themselves from certain hobbies/interests and social activities. (credit:Ryan McVay via Getty Images)

Memory Loss (08 of10)

According to the Alzheimer's Association, one of the most seen symptoms is memory loss (especially recently processed info). For example: forgetting important dates or events; asking for the same information over and over again and needing memory aides( electronic reminders). (credit:Simon Winnall via Getty Images)

Mood changes(09 of10)

The mood and personalities of people with Alzheimer's disease can change, they can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone. Source: Alzheimer's Association (credit:The Welfare & Medical Care via Getty Images)

Decreased or poor judgement.(10 of10)

People with Alzheimer's may have poor judgement. This can include confusion over how much money they should spend.They may also pay less attention to grooming, and cleaning them selfs regularly.Source: Alzheimer's Association (credit:Martin Moos via Getty Images)

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