Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University found that fruit flies with genetic modifications to increase glucose absorption have a significantly longer shelf life.
Looking at the brain cells of aged flies, they found that better glucose uptake compensates for age-related deterioration of motor functions and leads to a longer life. The effect was more pronounced when associated with dietary restrictions. This suggests that a healthier diet associated with improved glucose uptake in the brain can lead to greater longevity.
The brain is a part of our bodies that consumes the most energy, consuming 20% of the oxygen we eat and 25% of glucose. That is why it is so important that it can remain energized, using glucose to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s “energy messenger”.
This chemical process, known as glycolysis, occurs both in the intracellular fluid and in a part of the cells known as mitochondria. But as we age, our brain cells become less adept at producing ATP, something that correlates widely with less glucose availability.
This may suggest that more food to get more glucose may be a good thing. On the other hand, it is known that healthier eating actually leads to a longer life. Unraveling the mystery surrounding these two contradictory pieces of knowledge can lead to a better understanding of a longer and healthier life expectancy.
A team led by associate professor Kanae Ando studied this problem using flies from the Drosophila fruit. First, they confirmed that brain cells in older flies tend to have lower levels of ATP and less glucose uptake. They specifically linked this to smaller amounts of enzymes needed for glycolysis.
To counteract this effect, they genetically modified the flies to produce more than one glucose-carrying protein called hGut3. Surprisingly, this increase in glucose uptake was all that was needed to significantly improve the amount of ATP in cells.
More specifically, they found that more hGut3 led to less decrease in enzyme production, countering the decline with age. Although this did not lead to an improvement in age-related damage to mitochondria, they also suffered less deterioration in locomotor functions.
But that is not all. In another twist, the team placed flies with greater glucose absorption under dietary restrictions, to see how the effects interact. Flies now had an even longer life expectancy.
Interestingly, increased glucose uptake did not really improve glucose levels in brain cells. The results point to the importance not only of the amount of glucose that exists, but of the efficiency with which it is used when introduced into cells to produce the energy that the brain needs.
Although the anti-aging benefits of a restricted diet have been demonstrated in many species, the team has been able to combine this with better glucose uptake to leverage the benefits of both for an even longer life in a model organism. Further study can provide vital clues as to how we can keep our brains healthy longer.
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This story was published from a wire agency feed with no text changes. Only the title has been changed.
