Diabetes and Alzheimers

barneyb · 06-30-2005, 10:30 PM

I swear I read/heard somewhere that there's a link between the two. Anyone else heard this?

There is diabetes on my father's side and his mother had Alzheimers. . . Just wondering.

Stefany · 07-01-2005, 02:40 AM

My grandfather had both. So I just wonder....Would be something to look into for me and others. I might just put that on my list of things to check out when I get the time when I am done with school. When I find something out I will post it. If you have not heard from me in awhile send me a PM about it again and I will see what I can find out.

nobimbo · 07-01-2005, 09:56 AM

There has been some research that shows a link between the two. There is also a strong link between vitamin B12 deficiency and Alzheimer's, too:

Diabetes Increases Alzheimer's rRsk
From Christine Kennard,

May 2004 Results of a study published in the Archives of Neurology link sufferers of diabetes to a 65 per cent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The startling results are a result of data from the Religious Orders Study, an ongoing study of Catholic nuns, priests and brothers analyzing the relationship between Alzheimer's and diabetes. 824 participants were followed up for about six years. 151 of the participants developed Alzheimer's, including 31 who had diabetes. That’s a 65 percent increase in the risk of developing Alzheimer's among people who had diabetes

The participants underwent periodic neuropsychological testing of five cognitive systems, general knowledge, ability to recognise special patterns, working memory and perceptual speed. It found that people with Alzheimer's and diabetes had an increased rate of decline all systems.

It shows us the importance of detecting and treating diabetes effectively especially at the moment when the incidence of diabetes increasing dramatically worldwide. Diabetes is strongly linked to vascular complications that cause kidney, heart and circulation problems, diseases such as arteriosclerosis, stroke, but the actual process involved that links Alzheimer’s disease to diabetes is still unclear.

http://alzheimers.about.com/cs/research/a/diabetes_risk.htm

Stefany · 07-01-2005, 11:28 AM

nobimbo,
Thank so much for the info. I plan to look some of this up when I am done with school in a week or so, Thanks again for the info

Tiggamoo · 07-01-2005, 11:53 AM

This question come up yesterday in care planning. The g-dtr. asked if there was any known link with diabetes and Alzheimer's. The nurses in the room told here they didn't think there was a connection. I don't know if they are correct or not. There are so many studies out their with Alzheimer's. It's hard to keep up.

dellwood · 07-01-2005, 01:57 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if they discovered a definite link--my mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother all suffered from Alzheimer's, while two of my mother's first cousins and her sister are now showing symptoms also. My mother and her cousins also suffered from diabetes and I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. We're a pretty sad bunch, now I come to think of it. PCOS also runs in my family, as does glaucoma and asthma. (Shoot me now)

BreeJ · 07-10-2005, 01:47 AM

I haven't been keeping up on Alzheimer's lately because in truth it scares me to death. It's coming at me from both sides of my family so I'm a little scared. I do know that my grandmother was a borderline diabetic and she did pass away from Alzheimers.

Stefany · 07-10-2005, 02:44 AM

Check this out I was looking around and saw this thought ya'll might want check it out. I found it to be some good info

Study suggests 'type 3 diabetes'
The brain is another source of insulin say the researchers
Scientists say they may have discovered a previously unknown form of diabetes, after finding the brain produces insulin as well as the pancreas.
Unlike other types of diabetes, the form - dubbed type 3 by the US Brown Medical School team - is not thought to affect blood sugar.
Type 3 affects brain insulin levels, and appears to be linked with Alzheimer's disease.
The team's research appears in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
It raises the possibility of a type 3 diabetes
Study author Dr Suzanne de la Monte
Diabetes linked to Alzheimer's
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes occur when the body is unable to produce or use insulin from the pancreas.
The so-called 'type 3' diabetes refers to lower than normal levels of newly discovered brain insulin, which appears to be associated with Alzheimer's disease in some way.
Scientists have known for some time that people with diabetes have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease - by up to 65%.
They have also discovered that many type 2 diabetics have deposits of a protein in their pancreas which is similar to the protein deposits found in the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer's disease.
Research has been going on to find out what links the two conditions.
Dr Suzanne de la Monte and colleagues now believe it is down to what they are calling type 3 diabetes.
By looking at rodents and post-mortem brain tissue from people with Alzheimer's disease they have found that insulin and its related proteins are actually produced in the brain, and that reduced levels of both are linked to Alzheimer's disease.
'Brain' insulin
They say this insulin and its related growth factors and receptors in the brain are vital for the survival of brain cells.
If they are not produced at normal levels, the cells die.
In the case of Alzheimer's, the cells that die are located in the part of the brain involved with memory, called the hippocampus.
Dr de la Monte, who is a neuropathologist at Rhode Island Hospital, said: "What we found is that insulin is not just produced in the pancreas, but also in the brain.
I suspect that the brain insulin itself is not very significant
Professor Greg Cole of the University of California, Los Angeles
"These abnormalities do not correspond to type 1 or type 2 diabetes, but reflect a different and more complex disease process that originates in the central nervous system."
Not only does this opens the way for targeted treatment to the brain and changes the way we view Alzheimer's disease, "it raises the possibility of a type 3 diabetes", she said.
"The implication is that treating type 1 or type 2 diabetes may have no impact on Alzheimer's disease. We believe that therapeutic agents need to be designed that specifically influence the actions of insulin in the brain," she said.
Cathy Moulton, care advisor at Diabetes UK, said: "So far studies on a potential link between Alzheimer's and diabetes have come up with inconclusive results.
'More research'
"There is some evidence to suggest that poorly controlled diabetes also affects the functioning of the brain.
"However, far more research on a link between Alzheimer's and diabetes is needed before we can draw any firm conclusions."
A spokeswoman from the Alzheimer's Research Trust said: "Researchers have believed for some time that the role of insulin and its growth factors are very important in Alzheimer's disease.
"Scientists have suggested that the link could be down to molecular changes affected by insulin.
"Work funded by the Alzheimer's Research Trust is currently investigating the way insulin acts on the brain and should improve our understanding of Alzheimer's and hopefully lead to way to new treatments.
Professor Greg Cole, from the University of California Los Angeles' Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, said: "This is a new finding. It is interesting that the brain makes very low levels of insulin.
"But its significance is unclear. The levels are so low that they have not been detected with less sensitive methods. I don't think we can say they are high enough to matter.
"I suspect that the brain insulin itself is not very significant and neither is its deficit in Alzheimer's disease and, therefore, I wouldn't call it type 3 diabetes."
But he said there was evidence that diabetes and Alzheimer's are linked in some way.

Stefany · 07-10-2005, 02:45 AM

I found one more hope ya'll don't mind!
Diabetes 'linked to Alzheimer's'
Insulin can be a key part of diabetes treatment
Having diabetes can increase a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 65%, scientists have found.
The researchers from Chicago's Rush University Medical Center identified the increased risk in a five-year study of more than 800 people.
UK experts said further research was needed to explore exactly how diabetes increased the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
The research has been published in the journal Archives of Neurology.
Diabetes is known to affect around 1.4 million people in the UK. The majority have Type 2 diabetes. Another million are thought to have diabetes but not know it.
Perception affected
The Chicago researchers studied 824 Catholic nuns, priests, and brothers who were taking part in the Rush University Religious Orders Study for an average of five-and-a-half years.
Further work to determine the mechanism linking diabetes to Alzheimer's disease will be important for people with diabetes
Professor Clive Ballard, Alzheimer's Disease Society
Over the course of the study 151 people were diagnosed with Alzheimer's, including 31 who had diabetes.
The researchers calculated diabetics therefore had a 65% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's, compared to non-diabetics.
They also looked more closely at mental decline by testing diabetics and non-diabetics on facets of memory and perception commonly affected by ageing, Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias throughout the time they were studied.
The tests showed that only speed of perception - being able to tell whether two things are the same or different - declined faster in diabetics than in healthy patients, by around 44%.
However, because common vascular conditions such as stroke have been shown to affect this function, the researchers say more work would have to be carried out before the mental change could be linked to diabetes.
In other areas of cognition, the rate of change over the period people were studied was no different in diabetics and non-diabetics.
'New insights'
Dr Zoe Arvanitakis, who led the research, said: "We found that diabetes was related to decline in some cognitive systems but not in others."
She said all those who had participated in the study had agreed to donate their brains to research so it would be possible to examine them to try to gain more information about how diabetes was linked to cognitive decline.
Professor Clive Ballard, director of research at the Alzheimer's Disease Society, said the study clearly showed an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in people with diabetes, confirming the findings of several large previous studies.
He added: "Diabetes along with other conditions such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, are well-recognised risk factors for Alzheimer's.
"Further work to determine the mechanism linking diabetes to Alzheimer's disease will be important for people with diabetes, but may also give new insights to some of the processes that are important in the evolution of Alzheimer's disease more generally."
Professor Ballard said eating healthily, ensuring blood pressure and cholesterol levels are checked regularly, taking exercise and watching our weight may all turn out to be important ways of reducing the risk of developing dementia.
Penny Williams, a care advisor for Diabetes UK, added: "We know that persistently raised blood glucose levels can lead to many complications such as heart disease and blindness, so good blood glucose control is essential.
"There is some evidence to suggest that poorly controlled diabetes also affects the functioning of the brain.
However, far more research on a link between Alzheimer's and diabetes is needed before we can draw any conclusions