Thermodynamic Analysis to Evaluate the Effect of Diet on Brain Glucose Metabolism: The Case of Fish Oil

Abstract

Inefficient glucose metabolism and decreased ATP production in the brain are linked to ageing, cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). This study employed thermodynamic analysis to assess the effect of fish oil supplementation on glucose metabolism in ageing brains. Data from previous studies on glucose metabolism in the aged human brain and grey mouse lemur brains were examined. The results demonstrated that Omega-3 fish oil supplementation in grey mouse lemurs increased entropy generation and decreased Gibbs free energy across all brain regions. Specifically, there was a 47.4% increase in entropy generation and a 47.4 decrease in Gibbs free energy in the whole brain, indicating improved metabolic efficiency. In the human model, looking at the specific brain regions, supplementation with Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) reduced the entropy generation difference between elderly and young individuals in the cerebellum and particular parts of the brain cortex, namely the anterior cingulate and occipital lobe, with 100%, 14.29%, and 20% reductions, respectively. The Gibbs free energy difference was reduced only in the anterior cingulate by 60.64%. This research underscores that the application of thermodynamics is a comparable and powerful tool in comprehending the dynamics and metabolic intricacies within the brain.

Dietary Patterns, Food Intake and Health: New Evidence from Epidemiological and Genetic Studies

“…Effectiveness of public health policies targeting on reducing sugar sweetened beverages consumption (e.g., sugar tax) should be evaluated. Yildiz and Medina used both animal and human models to investigate the effect of fish oil supplementation on cerebral metabolic rate of glucose in multiple areas of ageing brains, and emphasised their application of thermodynamic analysis [8].…”