Author(s)

Ian James Martins, Rhona Creegan

Centre of Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Care School of Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia.

The origins of premature brain aging and chronic disease progression are associated with atherogenic diets and sedentary lifestyles in Western communities. Interests in brain aging that involves non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the global stroke epidemic and neurodegeneration have become the focus of nutritional research. Atherogenic diets have been linked to plasma ceramide dysregulation and insulin resistance actively promoting chronic diseases and neurodegeneration in developed countries. Abnormal lipid signaling as observed in chronic diseases such as hypothyroidism, obesity and diabetes is connected to stroke and neurodegenerative diseases in man. Lipids that are involved in calcium and amyloid betahomeostasis are critical to cell membrane stability with the maintenance of nuclear receptors and transcriptional regulators that are involved in cell chromatin structure and DNA expression. Western diets high in fat induce hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance and other hormonal imbalances that are linked to alterations in brain calcium and lipid metabolism with susceptibility to various chronic diseases such as stroke. Nutrition and food science research identifies dietary components and lipids to prevent hyperlipidemia and calcium dyshomeostasis connected to neuroendocrine disease by maintaining astrocyte-neuron interactions and reversing hormonal imbalances that are closely associated with NAFLD, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in global populations.

Nutrition, Hyperlipidemia, Ceramide, Calcium, Neuron, Astrocyte

Martins, I. and Creegan, R. (2014) Links between Insulin Resistance, Lipoprotein Metabolism and Amyloidosis in Alzheimer’s Disease. Health, 6, 1549-1579. doi: 10.4236/health.2014.612190.