You may not have studied this, but I have. I read all the latest research on senior diets and nutrition. I know what eating a diet of high sugar and carbohydrates does on a cellular level and it’s not pretty.

In truth, this dietary habit is more dangerous than smoking, doing drugs, and texting while driving and doing both. High intake of sugar and carbohydrate creates havoc to seniors because:

• Too much sugar causes memory loss, brain shrinkage, and increases our risk of dementia
• Glucose combines with protein to create stiff, inflexible cell membranes
• Glucose fuels the energy and development of cancerous cells
• It contributes to aging, spotty skin

And yet, every once and a while, I find myself eating pastry. (Note that this sentence is devoid of any personal responsibility.) It’s because, honestly, I don’t know how it happens. There’s no point in which I made a decision to eat it. It is in my mouth before I realize. Does that ever happen to you?

Sugar and Carbs Cause Cravings

Reminds me of the research that says smokers who read the warning labels on cigarette packages are hit with an increased craving to smoke. The seafood diet is similar: see food, eat it. No thought required. Pure pleasure. Instant dopamine hit to the reward centers in the brain.

Given a choice between cocaine and sugar, lab mice will repetitively choose glucose. I’m am reminded of the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.

Senior Diets: What Happens Inside Your Cells

I’m a big believer in the power of knowledge to slow down impulse eating and disastrous consequences. Obviously it’s not fool proof but it’s all we’ve got. Let me walk you through the path of what happens with sugar, carbs and your brain.

When you eat sugar, the molecules become sticky, just like maple syrup or honey. Sticky sugar molecules (and it doesn’t matter if they come from sugar, honey, agave, high fructose corn syrup, or starchy foods like potatoes and grains, corn, or rice) bind to nearby protein molecules or to the surfaces of cells in a process called glycation which causes severe damage.

Protein molecules try to do their job of rebuilding structure and function of all your organs and tissues—everything from your skin to your liver to your brain. But when they’ve become glycated, they can’t do the work and things go haywire.

What Is Glycation?

Glycation is a process somewhat like oxidation in that both occur in your cells and are part of metabolism. We know we can slow the rate of oxidation in our bodies by avoiding oxidized oils like vegetable fats high in omega-6 and eating anti-oxidant rich leafy greens, plants and herbs.

We can also slow the rate at which glycation occurs. All we need to do is choose foods that do not contain an overabundance of sugar (or starch) that can bind with our proteins.

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE’s)

AGE’s are called gerontotoxins for a reason: they are one of the most damaging aspects of glycation because they act like biological thugs. They cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the body and are present in everybody to varying degrees. AGE formation is proportional to blood glucose levels and dramatically accelerated in Type 2 diabetics.

This is why every senior should pay attention to their blood sugar levels, even those who have normal weight and are non-diabetic. AGE’s play a big role in the development or worsening of degenerative diseases like atherosclerosis and Alheimer’s Disease.

The brains of people with A. D. are riddled with these AGE toxins, in fact, they contain about three times the amount of AGEs as in a normal brain.

Clearly glycation plays a role in the development of dementia and memory loss. Elevated blood sugar levels (even in the normal range) increases the risk of dementia. But you don’t have to have a diagnosis of diabetes or dementia to suffer the effects of AGEs on your ability to think, to learn, and to remember. AGEs impair the expression of genes that promote neuroplasticity and longevity.

Think about this when you next eat. The way towards healthy senior diets is paved with common sense and mindfulness. I hope the next time a sticky pastry jumps into your fingers, you’ll be reminded how the same thing is about to happen inside your cells. Sticky sugar binds with proteins causing advance glycated end-products. Those AGEs will put an end to your once-powerful and speedy brain.