Rishi Sunak’s diet may help avoid Alzheimer’s disease: scientists explain the reason

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have suggested that fasting could potentially prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Although the researchers admit that it is “too early” to prove the theory, they nevertheless called the assumption attractive.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to infection or injury. However, chronic inflammation, where the body releases inflammatory cells for no apparent reason, is associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and type 2 diabetes.

The revelation comes after it was revealed this week that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is fasting for 36 hours a week. The politician, a big Coca-Cola drinker, considers it an “important discipline” that allows him to combat his “weakness for sweet foods.”

His diet looks like this: he doesn’t eat anything from 5:00 pm on Sunday until 5:00 am on Tuesday. But he also admitted that he indulges in some sweet treats during the week.

In a new study published in the journal Cell Reports, experts from Cambridge studied about two dozen people who consumed only water for 24 hours.

Volunteers ate a 500-calorie breakfast before 8 a.m. and then fasted for 24 hours. Blood samples were taken from them before fasting, at the end of the 24-hour period and again after breakfast the next day.

The results showed a rapid increase in levels of a lipid called arachidonic acid, which stores energy and transmits information between cells. Once people ate again, arachidonic acid levels dropped.

Laboratory tests have shown that higher levels of this lipid reduce the activity of the inflammatory cell NLRP3, which is closely linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Thus, fasting appears to reduce inflammation in the body, scientists say.

Previous work also showed that not eating for 24 hours could help reduce inflammation, but the reason for this was not clear. Although the observational study cannot confirm that the effect was caused by a fixed period of food abstinence, the researchers said the result indicates that calorie restriction benefits the body.

Professor Claire Bryant, from the University of Cambridge, said: “This potentially explains how changing our diet – in particular fasting – protects us from inflammation, especially the damaging form that underlies many of the diseases associated with Western high-calorie diets. It is too early to say whether fasting protects against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, since the effects of arachidonic acid are short-lived. But our work adds to a growing body of scientific literature that points to the positive effects of cutting calories on the body.”

The team said their findings also indicate that a high-calorie diet may increase the risk of such diseases. Previous studies have shown that a high-fat diet increases inflammatory disease activity.

Professor Bryant added: “There may be a yin and yang effect here, where too many of the wrong things increase your inflammatory activity and too little reduces it.”

The researchers said they may also have learned how aspirin works. They say the painkiller prevents the body from breaking down arachidonic acid quickly, which can lead to higher levels and therefore less inflammation.

“It is important to emphasize that aspirin should not be taken to reduce the risk of chronic disease without medical guidance as it can have side effects such as stomach bleeding if taken long-term,” said Claire Bryant.

One type of fasting, known as intermittent fasting, involves periods of not eating for part of a day or week. It has been found to stimulate the body to burn excess fat, leading to weight loss and a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.

Options include the 5:2 diet, which involves eating 500 to 600 calories for two days a week and eating a healthy diet for the remaining five days, or the 16:8 diet, which involves eating for eight hours and fasting for the remaining 16 hours.

Fasting allows the body to use stored energy by burning excess fat, resulting in weight loss. However, side effects include headaches and severe hunger, which not everyone can tolerate.