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Alzheimer's disease could be cured by preventing low blood sugar in the brain, scientists revealed yesterday.

They experimented on mice using a chemical to maintain the supply of blood glucose to brain cells – and found it helped tostop dementia.

Chemical biologist Prof David Vocadlo and his team at the Simon Fraser University in Canada, genetically programmed mice to develop Alzheimer’s before injecting them with the chemical called Thiamet-G.

He said the study provided fresh insights into dementia and added: “These results could help us to hinder progression ofAlzheimer’s disease.”

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and there is no known cure for it. By 2020, the number of sufferers worldwide could double to 42 million.

It causes the brain to shrink and leads to long-term memory loss and mental confusion.

Current treatments can only ease the symptoms temporarily.

The cause is not fully understood but scientists believe the main factors are plaque on the outside of neurons in the brain and protein “tangles” inside them.

The Canadian experiment found the chemical slowed formation of these proteins and reduced destruction of brain cells.

In particular, it prevented removal of sugar from the neurons, which send messages between brain cells.