Marco Korcak
Professor Vejdemo-Johansson
MHC 223
November 22, 2021
Neurodegeneration and cognitive decline tied to western diet
The human body is constantly changing and developing as time goes on along with the medical field. New discoveries are constantly being made and previously known habits are starting to be replaced by new ones. What animals and humans eat can greatly impact their life in numerous ways. Depending on the environment a person was raised in their eating habits differ from others as well as their diets. Diets considered normal in certain regions can be foreign to others and studying the impacts of diets has been an area of research for scientists. A recent study done by scientists published in the Cell Press journal iScience examined how the western diet of over-refined sugars and many calories can be tied to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. This research was mentioned in an article published by the New York Post and when examining the published article with the research paper, it is evident there are similarities along with discrepancies present.
The New York Post published an article titled “Western diet tied to cognitive decline, neurodegeneration: mouse study” which was written by Julia Musto. The article based its reporting off a research paper published by the scientific journal “iScience – Cell Press”. The article stated that the cognitive decline impacts are created through increased Na,K-ATPase signaling in adipocytes. Adipocytes are fat cells which are the major energy storage sites in the body and Na,K-ATPase is a cellular sodium-potassium pump. A mouse model was used where some mice were given normal diets and other given a western diet for 12 weeks. Results showed that the mice eating the western diet increased their body weight while also having low energy and oxygen levels along with increased insulin resistance. Behavioral changes were also noticed which is similar to the changes in humans with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Researchers also found that when the Na,K-ATPase signal was obstructed through the use of NaKtide in fat cells, the adverse effects were stopped, specifically in the hippocampus region of the brain. This was significant because the hippocampus is the region of the brain associated with emotional responses and is principally involved in storing long-term memories. All of this information allowed scientists to conclude that if this was observed in humans, Na,K-ATPase would serve as a clinical target in the therapy of neurodegenerative disorders. Overall, the article summarized the findings of the research article while briefly explaining the significance.
“Role of adipocyte Na,K-ATP oxidant amplification loop in cognitive decline and neurodegeneration” is a research article published by a team of researchers from Marshall University. The authors include Komal Sodhi, Rebecca Pratt, Xiaoliang Wang, Sandrine Pierre, Thomas Nelson and Joseph I. Shapiro. The article was published after undergoing extensive peer review and has received large media coverage since its publishing. The study aimed to demonstrate a central role of adipocytes, specifically through adipocyte NKAL, in neurodegeneration since previous studies established a causal relationship between adipose tissue and the brain. The abstract stated that a western diet may contribute to clinical neurodegeneration and dementia. This was concluded since the diet caused increases in circulating inflammatory cytokines as well as behavioral, and brain biochemical changes consistent with neurodegeneration. The systemic oxidant stress along with evidence of activation of Na,K-ATPase signaling both murine brain and peripheral tissues were produced by a western diet. This experiment was done on mice where some were fed a normal diet while others were fed a western diet and the changes they experienced were recorded. The method included examining indirect calorimetry and locomotor activity, glucose tolerance test, measurement of plasma cytokines and much more. All data collected was tested for normality and then subjected to parametric analysis and total RNA was extracted from tissues. In essence, augmented Na,K-ATPase signaling along with antagonism of the pathway in adipocytes ameliorates the pathophysiology suggests that the western diet produces cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.
After reading the New York Post article and research article itself, it is evident that there are numerous similarities, but many discrepancies present as well. In terms of the general concept and results the article matched up with the research paper. The article published mentioned the findings but failed to mention the numerous procedures done in order to properly understand the findings and their overall significance. The article mentioned that mice were used and one group was given a regular diet while the other was given a western diet but how differences were measured was not mentioned. The article mentioned that the western diet led to mice gaining weight but did not go in depth about the other experiments and variables that were measured. For instance, at the end of the 12-week period the mice underwent metabolic cages for measurement of energy expenditure, oxygen consumption and locomotor activity. The mice were also fasted for 8 hours after the 12-week period in order to do a glucose tolerance test. Open field tests were also performed in order to assess exploratory behavior, anxiety, general activity level and gross locomotor activity. In addition to these tests, RNA extraction and real-time PCR was done. These were only a few of many tests done in order to properly understand the results that were overlooked by the article. Moreover, the article failed to emphasize why adipokines were examined in mice when conducting this study. Neurons express receptors for various adipokines which indicates that factors released from adipose tissue have the potential to communicate directly with the brain. Increased inflammatory conditions and metabolic changes associated with obesity can cause damage to the central nervous system which can lead to neurodegenerative disorders. The research paper explained the very complex study that was done, and the numerous variables associated with the experiment. The article did mention results of the research paper but undermined the complexity of the experiment and did not give enough emphasis to the experiments that contributed to the findings. In essence, there were similarities between the research article and the New York Post article, but the article did fail to mention very important aspects of the research process.
Works Cited
Musto, Julia. “Western Diet Tied to Cognitive Decline, Neurodegeneration: Mouse Study.” New York Post, New York Post, 29 Oct. 2021, nypost.com/2021/10/29/western-diet-tied-to-cognitive-decline-neurodegeneration-mouse-study/.
Sodhi, Komal, et al. “Role of Adipocyte Na,K-ATPase Oxidant Amplification Loop in Cognitive Decline and Neurodegeneration.” iScience, vol. 24, no. 11, Elsevier Inc, 2021, p. 103262–, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.103262.
