Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
By admin on Sep 1, 2010 in Health and Fitness
The research just keeps piling up — more and more scientists are reporting a possible link between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease (and similar conditions).
Earlier this month we discussed a study whereby dementia (such as Alzheimer’s) was found to be more prevalent among people with type 2 diabetes. And a study from the latest issue of the medical journal Neurology reports that people with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes appear to be at an
increased risk of developing plaques in the brain that are associated
with Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, titled “Insulin resistance is associated with the pathology of Alzheimer disease: The Hisayama Study,” looked at 135 participants’ blood sugars, symptoms of Alzheimer’s, as well as observations of autopsies. The researchers found that hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia (both of which are caused by insulin resistance seen in type 2 diabetes) promotes the kind of plaque formations seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Those who had compromised insulin resistance
had an increased risk of developing plaques.
Insulin resistance, or the loss of the body’s ability to effectively
lower blood sugar by releasing insulin into the blood, is a hallmark of
type 2 diabetes. The researchers state that it is possible that by
controlling or preventing diabetes, people might also be helping to prevent
Alzheimer’s disease.
Click here to access the press release and links to a video and tweets.
Credits to:Nutrition Data: Diabetes