Your Brain's Energy Crisis

Right now, as you read this, your brain is consuming 20% of your body's total energy, despite being only 2% of your body weight. It's the most energy hungry organ you possess, and it runs almost exclusively on glucose.

But here's what terrifies me, and it should concern you too if you know anyone affected by Alzheimer's: their brain cells are literally starving for energy whilst swimming in glucose. It's like having a full tank of petrol but a broken fuel line.

Alzheimer's disease is increasingly being called "type 3 diabetes," and this isn't just medical jargon, it's a game changer for prevention. Professor Ben Bikman who is a member of Clubwell’s Advisory

Panel explains it perfectly: "As the brain becomes progressively insulin resistant, it becomes less and less able to get enough glucose to meet its energy demands. The brain doesn't work as well."

Here's the cruel mechanism: insulin is only made in the pancreas, not in the brain. Your brain cells need insulin to use glucose. But as insulin resistance develops throughout your body, the transporter cells in your Blood Brain Barrier, the ones that shuttle insulin from your bloodstream into your brain, they stop working efficiently. The insulin remains in your blood, never reaching your brain cells.

Researchers even have a name for it now: "cerebral glucose hypometabolism." They can see it on brain scans, this sluggish utilisation of brain glucose. The energy crisis can persist for years, even decades, before symptoms appear.

But there's a critical window for intervention. The same strategies that reverse insulin resistance in your body work for your brain too.

Your action today: Focus on metabolic health through Clubwell's dietary approach. What protects your body's cells protects your brain's cells. Start today, not tomorrow.

Alzheimer's is very personal for me, as my mother sadly suffers terribly from the disease. If it affects someone you love too, keep your eyes on our Articles section as I will continue to research and write more in this area as new research is published.