Surprise Discovery About Sugar in The Brain Could Help Fight Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's is a tauopathy; a condition characterized by harmful build-ups of tau proteins inside neurons. It's not clear, however, if these build-ups are a cause or a consequence of the disease. A new study now adds important detail by revealing significant interactions between tau and glucose in its stored form of glycogen.
Led by a team from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in the US, the research sheds new light on the functions of glycogen in the brain. Before now, it's only been regarded as an energy backup for the liver and the muscles.
"This new study challenges that view, and it does so with striking implications," says molecular biologist Pankaj Kapahi, from the Buck Institute. "Stored glycogen doesn't just sit there in the brain, it is involved in pathology."
Related:
Building on links previously found between glycogen and neurodegeneration, the researchers spotted evidence of excessive glycogen levels both in tauopathy models created in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and in the brain cells of people with Alzheimer's.
Further analysis revealed a key mechanism at play: tau proteins interrupt the normal breakdown and use of glycogen in the brain, adding to the dangerous build-up of both tau and glycogen, as well as lowering protective neuron defense barriers.
Crucial to this interaction is the activity of glycogen phosphorylase or GlyP, the main enzyme tasked with turning glycogen into a fuel the body can use. When the researchers boosted GlyP production in fruit flies, glycogen stores were utilized once more, helping to fight back against cell damage.
"By increasing GlyP activity, the brain cells could better detoxify harmful reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing damage and even extending the lifespan of tauopathy model flies," says Buck Institute biologist Sudipta Bar.
The team wondered if a restricted diet – already associated with better brain health – would help. When fruit flies affected by tauopathy were put on a low-protein diet, they lived longer and showed reduced brain damage, suggesting that the metabolic shift prompted by dieting can help boost GlyP.
It's a notable set of findings, not least because it suggests a way that glycogen and tau aggregation could be tackled in the brain. The researchers also developed a drug based around the 8-Br-cAMP molecule to mimic the effects of dietary restriction, which had similar effects on flies in experiments.
The work might even tie into research involving GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic, designed to manage diabetes and reduce weight loss, but also now showing promise for protecting against dementia. That might be because these drugs interact with one of glycogen's pathways, the researchers suggest.
"By discovering how neurons manage sugar, we may have unearthed a novel therapeutic strategy: one that targets the cell's inner chemistry to fight age-related decline," says Kapahi.
"As we continue to age as a society, findings like these offer hope that better understanding – and perhaps rebalancing – our brain's hidden sugar code could unlock powerful tools for combating dementia."
The research has been published in Nature Metabolism.
Air Pollution 'Strongly Associated' With DNA Mutations Tied to Lung Cancer
FDA Issues Warning Over Dangerous 'Gas Station Heroin' Substance
Mysterious Leprosy Pathogen Has Lurked in The Americas For 4,000 Years
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Massage Guns Are a Fitness Staple—but Do They Actually Deliver?
You'd be hard-pressed to walk into a gym without seeing someone trying to fix their sore muscles. One guy's foam rolling his calves like his life depends on it, someone else is aggressively stretching their shoulders with a resistance band, and in the back, yep, that's a guy mid-cold plunge looking like he regrets all of his life choices. From high-tech massage tools to compression boots that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie, the recovery market is overflowing with gadgets that promise to beat soreness and speed up your bounce-back. But just because your favorite gym bro swears by it doesn't mean it actually works—or is worth your hard-earned cash. Case in point: massage guns. A new study suggests they might be more hype than help. The study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research followed 20 healthy, active adults as they did an intense biceps workout with their non-dominant arm designed to create soreness and muscle participants were then broken up into two groups: the group that used a massage gun and the group that didn't do any kind of recovery treatment. The massage gun group used the recovery tool for five minutes right after the workout, then again at 24 and 48 hours later. For the next week, the researchers tracked how sore each participant's arms felt, how much their range of motion changed, how swollen their muscles were, how strong they stayed, and how well their muscles fired. The results? Everyone got sore, and everyone recovered to the same extent, whether they used the massage gun or not. That means the massage guns didn't reduce soreness, improve strength, or speed up recovery any more than doing nothing at all. This study challenges the widely held belief that massage guns are an effective tool for muscle recovery and soreness relief. While they might feel good in the moment (which is a perfectly valid reason to use them), the findings suggest they don't actually help you bounce back any faster after a tough workout. Massage Guns Are a Fitness Staple—but Do They Actually Deliver? first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 7, 2025
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trainer Reveals the 5 Exercises Every Man Should Do to Build Massive Legs
Every guy dreams of big arms, broad shoulders, and a chest that commands attention. Yet to build a truly impressive, balanced physique, strong legs are just as essential. But with so many exercises out there, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. That's where Bobby Maximus comes in. The renowned fitness authority, former UFC fighter, BJJ world champion, and founder of The Maximus Gym and Project Maximus just shared the only five dumbbell leg exercises you really need. These moves will help you build serious lower-body strength and boost your overall muscle mass. "If you want to have big legs, you've got to do volume," Maximus says. "I've been telling you guys this from the start, there's no hacks, there's no shortcuts, there's no three easy payments of $9.99. Now, this workout means you're going to be sore for days, but if you want to grow your legs, you're going to have to be sore. I promise you by week three, you will be in the groove of this."Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out. Extend your arms in front of you for balance. Bend your hips and knees to lower your body like you're sitting in a chair. Keep your chest up and knees in line with your toes. Lower until your hips are below your knees, if possible. Push through your heels to stand back up. That's 1 rep. Perform 3 sets of 20 reps. Stand with the dumbbells in your hands and step back with your right foot, to start. Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your rear knee nearly touches the floor. Keep your torso upright. Step forward to return to the starting position. Complete all reps on one leg, then switch legs. That's 1 set. Perform 3 sets of 20 reps. In a squat rack, step under the barbell and place it high on your trapezius muscle across the top of your shoulders, to start. Place your hands a few inches outside shoulder-width to keep the bar stable. Step back, removing the bar from the rack, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes turned slightly outward. Take a deep breath, then bend your hips and knees to lower your body as if you were going to sit down in a chair. Aim for your butt to go lower than knee level while maintaining a tall, upright posture with your upper body. Extend your hips to come back up, continuing to push your knees outward. That's 1 rep. Perform 10 sets of 10 reps at 60 percent of your one rep max. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and dumbbells or a barbell in front of you, to start. Slightly bend your knees and keep them in that position. Hinge at your hips, pushing your hips back, and lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Keeping your back flat, pick up the weight. Stand back up by pushing your hips forward and squeezing your glutes. That's 1 rep. Lower the weight back down to shin height before standing back up again to continue your reps. Perform 5 sets of 10 reps. Stand in front of a flat bench, facing away from the bench, to start. Rest the top of one foot on the bench, then transition all your weight onto the other leg. This is your "working leg." Holding dumbbells in your hands, slowly lower yourself down until your working leg's thigh is parallel to the floor. Push all your weight through your heel and stand. That's 1 rep. Complete all reps on one side, then repeat on the other. Perform 3 to 5 sets of 10 reps on each Reveals the 5 Exercises Every Man Should Do to Build Massive Legs first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 7, 2025
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Surprise Discovery About Sugar in The Brain Could Help Fight Alzheimer's
Stores of glucose in the brain could play a much more significant role in the pathological degeneration of neurons than scientists realized, opening the way to new treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a tauopathy; a condition characterized by harmful build-ups of tau proteins inside neurons. It's not clear, however, if these build-ups are a cause or a consequence of the disease. A new study now adds important detail by revealing significant interactions between tau and glucose in its stored form of glycogen. Led by a team from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in the US, the research sheds new light on the functions of glycogen in the brain. Before now, it's only been regarded as an energy backup for the liver and the muscles. "This new study challenges that view, and it does so with striking implications," says molecular biologist Pankaj Kapahi, from the Buck Institute. "Stored glycogen doesn't just sit there in the brain, it is involved in pathology." Related: Building on links previously found between glycogen and neurodegeneration, the researchers spotted evidence of excessive glycogen levels both in tauopathy models created in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and in the brain cells of people with Alzheimer's. Further analysis revealed a key mechanism at play: tau proteins interrupt the normal breakdown and use of glycogen in the brain, adding to the dangerous build-up of both tau and glycogen, as well as lowering protective neuron defense barriers. Crucial to this interaction is the activity of glycogen phosphorylase or GlyP, the main enzyme tasked with turning glycogen into a fuel the body can use. When the researchers boosted GlyP production in fruit flies, glycogen stores were utilized once more, helping to fight back against cell damage. "By increasing GlyP activity, the brain cells could better detoxify harmful reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing damage and even extending the lifespan of tauopathy model flies," says Buck Institute biologist Sudipta Bar. The team wondered if a restricted diet – already associated with better brain health – would help. When fruit flies affected by tauopathy were put on a low-protein diet, they lived longer and showed reduced brain damage, suggesting that the metabolic shift prompted by dieting can help boost GlyP. It's a notable set of findings, not least because it suggests a way that glycogen and tau aggregation could be tackled in the brain. The researchers also developed a drug based around the 8-Br-cAMP molecule to mimic the effects of dietary restriction, which had similar effects on flies in experiments. The work might even tie into research involving GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic, designed to manage diabetes and reduce weight, but also now showing promise for protecting against dementia. That might be because these drugs interact with one of glycogen's pathways, the researchers suggest. "By discovering how neurons manage sugar, we may have unearthed a novel therapeutic strategy: one that targets the cell's inner chemistry to fight age-related decline," says Kapahi. "As we continue to age as a society, findings like these offer hope that better understanding – and perhaps rebalancing – our brain's hidden sugar code could unlock powerful tools for combating dementia." The research has been published in Nature Metabolism. Air Pollution 'Strongly Associated' With DNA Mutations Tied to Lung Cancer FDA Issues Warning Over Dangerous 'Gas Station Heroin' Substance Mysterious Leprosy Pathogen Has Lurked in The Americas For 4,000 Years
