Contribution of dietary fructose to the prevalence of dementia in India

Abstract

Increased longevity in modern times is associated with higher levels of dementia. This study aims to examine the relationship between increases in dietary fructose and the prevalence of dementia in the aging Indian population. Per capita sugar consumption estimates were used to augment data from a longitudinal study of aging in India. A novel use of machine learning models predicts cases of obesity, diabetes, and dementia with a very high level of discriminative ability and accuracy and suggests strong connections between increased consumption of dietary sugars and prevalence rates. Growing evidence suggests that dementia could be related to maladaptation of an evolutionary survival pathway related to fructose consumption. Challenged with periods of starvation, humans evolved a survival mechanism utilizing fructose as a survival switch that causes them to experience higher levels of hunger and thirst; increased foraging behavior, fat synthesis and accumulation, and insulin resistance; elevated blood pressure; and local inflammation. While beneficial during periods of starvation, significant increases in fructose in the modern diet appear to trigger the same survival switch, leading to harmful processes. These considerations suggest an inquiry into changes in dietary patterns in communities such as India, where aging populations and prevalence of dementia are increasing. Further explorations of the relationships between fructose consumption and dementia could provide insights into modifiable behaviors and targeted interventions to encourage optimal aging in India and in the world at large.