What’s not good for brain cells

What is the worst thing that can happen to brain cells? It is oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes the metabolism of brain cells to fail.

The brain’s energy metabolism is very active, and the brain consumes about 20% of the oxygen taken into the body.

When this metabolism is not working properly, amyloid beta and tau protein, which are the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, accumulate in the brain.

Both amyloid beta and tau protein are a type of protein that is normally broken down and does not accumulate in the brain, but accumulates in the brain and is thought to be the source of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is said to be more common in the elderly, but there is also juvenile Alzheimer’s disease that can occur at any age.

Dietary habits

Dietary habits that are bad for brain cells include, for example, diabetes, which is said to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 2 to 4 times compared to those who do not have diabetes. This is because high blood sugar levels increase oxidative stress in the body.

From this point of view, those who continue to follow a diet that raises blood sugar levels will naturally have a higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Is glucose a source of nutrition for the brain?

Some biochemistry books say that glucose is about 20% of the energy source for brain cells.

Therefore, you may think that you need to consume a lot of sugar or carbohydrates, which are the source of glucose, in order to activate your brain.

However, in cold countries, there are peoples who live by eating only fat. In other words, they do not eat sugar.

In this case, glucose intake as an energy source for the brain is said to be less than 20%. However, they maintain a normal brain state. So where does the 20% of glucose come from?

Actually, glucose can be made from lipids in the body. In other words, we can make glucose in our liver and brain itself.

It is not wrong to say that glucose is a source of energy for the brain, but it is safe to say that our brain can run on lipids as an energy source.

Finally

In this article, I talked about a biochemistry book that says 20% glucose is necessary, but in fact, other biochemistry books have different percentage figures.

It’s easy to look at one thing and think it’s the truth! However, it is recommended to check the evidence and read through various materials.