Study: Diabetes Doubles Alzheimer’s Risk
Getty Images By Anne Harding
MONDAY, September 19, 2011 (Health.com) — People with diabetes are at increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke at an early age. But thats not the only worry: Diabetes appears to dramatically increase a persons risk of developing Alzheimers disease or other types of dementia later in life, according to a new study conducted in Japan.
In the study, which included more than 1,000 men and women over age 60, researchers found that people with diabetes were twice as likely as the other study participants to develop Alzheimers disease within 15 years. They were also 1.75 times more likely to develop dementia of any kind.
Its really important for the public health to understand that diabetes is a significant risk factor for all of these types of dementia, says Rachel Whitmer, PhD, an epidemiologist in the research division of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, a nonprofit health-care organization based in Oakland, Calif.
Whitmer, who studies risk factors for Alzheimers but wasnt involved in the new research, stresses that many questions remain about the link between diabetes and dementia. The new study was well done and provides really good evidence that people with diabetes are at greater risk, she says, but we really need to look at other studies to find out why.
Related links:
- Could You Have Type 2? 10 Diabetes Symptoms
- 25 Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease
- 15 Exercise Tips for People With Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes could contribute to dementia in several ways, which researchers are still sorting out. Insulin resistance, which causes high blood sugar and in some cases leads to type 2 diabetes, may interfere with the bodys ability to break down a protein (amyloid) that forms brain plaques that have been linked to Alzheimers. High blood sugar (glucose) also produces certain oxygen-containing molecules that can damage cells, in a process known as oxidative stress.
In addition, high blood sugar—along with high cholesterol—plays a role in the hardening and narrowing of arteries in the brain. This condition, known as atherosclerosis, can bring about vascular dementia, which occurs when artery blockages (including strokes) kill brain tissue.
Having high glucose is a stressor to the nervous system and to the blood vessels, says David Geldmacher, MD, a professor of neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The emerging information on Alzheimers disease and glucose shows us that we do need to remain vigilant on blood sugar levels as we get older.
Studies dating back to the late 1990s have suggested that people with diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimers disease and other types of dementia, but the research has been marred by inconsistent definitions of both diabetes and dementia.
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