Scientists have discovered a new culprit behind Alzheimer’s disease: hyperglycosylation, a process where the brain produces an excessive amount of complex sugar chains that disrupt normal function.
Published in Nature Metabolism, this landmark study (Hawkinson TR, et.al., 2026) reveals how abnormal sugar synthesis actively fuels memory loss and cognitive decline, opening up potential new avenues for treatment.
Metabolic disruptions directly impact brain health and neurodegeneration.. Source: ttsz / Getty Images
What is Glycosylation?
To understand the finding, it helps to think of proteins in the brain like Christmas trees. Glycosylation is the natural biological process where tiny sugar molecules (called glycans) are attached to proteins, acting like delicate ornaments that help those proteins fold, function, and communicate properly.
However, in hyperglycosylation, the brain goes into overdrive. It decorates those proteins with far too many sugar chains, disrupting brain metabolism and impairing normal cell communication.
Key Discoveries from the Study
Researchers combined advanced brain-mapping technologies, studies in mice, and human medical records to arrive at four major insights:
- Overactive Sugar Production: By examining human brain tissue and animal models, researchers proved that Alzheimer’s brains produce glycans at abnormally high rates.
- Genetics Can Reverse Damage: When researchers genetically dialed down the enzymes responsible for building these sugar chains in mice, the mice experienced improved memory and cognitive function.
- Glucosamine Made Symptoms Worse: Glucosamine is a popular over-the-counter dietary supplement often taken for joint health because it acts as a building block for glycans. When mice with Alzheimer’s were given oral glucosamine, their cognitive function noticeably declined.
- Human Patient Records Confirm the Risk: Looking at real-world patient data, researchers found that Alzheimer’s patients who took glucosamine supplements experienced faster disease progression and worse health outcomes.
Why This Matters
This was only one study showing this connection, but I would still recommend not to take glucosamine to be on the safe side.
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Reference
Hawkinson TR, Liu Z, Ribas RA, Medina T, Nielsen RS, Clarke HA, Ma X, Mueller AC, Plasencia AF, Sheer AL, Simpson ST, Soto CM, Sudderth J, Cai F, Cantrell AR, Colpaert MG, Shedlock CJ, Wu L, Young LEA, Kooser DD, Chen L, Ryan AM, Quinones S, Son J, Azadi P, Deberardinis RJ, Prokop S, Allison D, Yang S, Chen H, Huang Y, He X, Alonge KM, Guo J, Guo Y, Bian J, Vander Kooi CW, Gentry MS, Sun RC. Hyperglycosylation is a metabolic driver of Alzheimer’s disease. Nat Metab. 2026 Jun;8(6):1410-1425. doi: 10.1038/s42255-026-01538-4. Epub 2026 Jun 9. PMID: 42265388; PMCID: PMC13303091.
