Research Article Summary Katie Walczuk 1

Katie Walczuk
Macronutrients NTR501
11/06/18
Research Article Summary
This paper on a high-glycemic diet is associated with cerebral amyloid burden in
cognitively normal older adults was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in
2017 by Jeffrey M. Burns, Jonathan D. Mahnken, Jill K. Morris, Matthew K. Taylor, Debra K.
Sullivan, Russell H. Swerdlow, and Eric D. Vidoni.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of glucose metabolism and dietary
glycemic index on the development of cerebral amyloid deposition in cognitively unimpaired
older adults. The glycemic index is a method of categorization for carbohydrates based on their
digestion and absorption in the human body that results in an impact on blood glucose levels
(Gropper & Smith, 2013). Cerebral amyloids are proteins that deposit on the artery walls of the
brain (National Institute of Health, 2018). The authors were interested in the formation of
amyloid aggregation in Alzheimer’s Disease after previous studies found that other diseases—
including type II diabetes—were linked to impaired glucose metabolism from diets with a high
glycemic load (Howlett et al., 2008). High glycemic foods are digested and absorbed quickly in
the body, resulting in the release of insulin due to rapidly rising blood glucose levels, that
consequently leads to rapid falling blood glucose (Gropper & Smith, 2013). These foods include
white bread, potatoes, sugary foods, and sugary drinks. The researchers conducted a cross-
sectional study that investigated the association between a high glycemic diet and a higher risk of
developing Alzheimer’s disease.
128 sedentary, cognitively normal participants between the ages of 65 and 90 years old
were sampled. In the selection of the subjects, exclusion materials were included in this study.
Trained clinicians examined participants for any cognitive abnormalities while the participants
completed a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire for the previous year to assess
dietary intake. The nutrient data was assessed using NCI DietCalc software. Daily intakes of
carbohydrates, sugar, glycemic load, and HDL diet pattern were evaluated. PET images were
used to assess the presence of cerebral amyloid deposits and were rated by trained professionals
as either elevated or non-elevated. A one-factor ANCOVA including age and sex as covariates
was used to analyze the differences between the elevated and non-elevated groups. Linear
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regression models were used to examine cognitive performance, cerebral amyloid burden, and
dietary factors. Significance levels were set at P<0.05.
The participants in the elevated cerebral amyloid burden condition had a significantly
higher consumption of sugar (P=0.03), carbohydrates (P=0.05), and high glycemic foods
(P=0.01) than the non-elevated group. A high glycemic diet was positively associated with
increased cerebral amyloid burden (P<0.001). These results suggests that diet, high glycemic
index, carbohydrate intake, and sugar intake are all possible factors in the formation of cerebral
amyloids and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Carbohydrate metabolism is crucial to understand in order to make sense of the research
at hand. In response to the consumption of high glycemic foods, foods high in carbohydrates, or
foods high in sugar, blood sugar levels increase and insulin is released (Gropper & Smith, 2013).
As a result, glycolysis takes place and glucose is taken up from the bloodstream and made into
two molecules of pyruvate. ATP and NADH are made throughout glycolysis, and the two
molecules of pyruvate will go on into the Krebs cycle and electron transport chain to make more
energy for storage. Additionally, in response to high blood glucose levels and the release of
insulin, glycogenesis will also occur. Glycogenesis is the process of synthesizing and storing
glycogen from glucose. When needed, this glycogen can be taken out of storage and broken
down when energy is needed.
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Literature Cited
Burn, J., Mahnken, J., Morris, J., Sullivan, D., Swerdlow, R., Taylor, M., Vidoni, E. (2017). A
high-glycemic diet is associated with cerebral amyloid burden in cognitively normal
older adults. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 106, 1463-1470. Doi:
10.3945/ajcn.117.162263
Gropper, S. A. S., & Smith, J. L. (2013). Advanced nutrition and human metabolism. Sixth
edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Howlett, J., Hulshof, T., Livesey, G., Taylor, R. (2008). Glycemic response and health—a
systematic review and meta-analysis: relations between dietary glycemic properties and
health outcomes. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87, 258S-268S. doi:
10.1093/ajcn/87.1.258S
National Institute of Health. (2018). Medline Plus. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Retrieved from:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000719.htm