Mid-Life Diabetes Linked to Alzheimers
Reported April 14, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A long-term study from Sweden shows men who develop diabetes in mid-life have a significantly higher chance of getting Alzheimers disease.
Researchers tracked men who had abnormal insulin levels at age 50. When they checked them 32 years later, they found the men with a low insulin secretion capacity were nearly one and a half times more likely to develop Alzheimers disease regardless of blood pressure, body mass index or cholesterol.
The authors of the study say their results suggest a link between insulin problems and the origins of Alzheimers. They say they believe its possible abnormal insulin levels damage blood vessels in the brain, which leads to memory problems and Alzheimers, vascular dementia, and other types of dementia or cognitive impairment.
They go on to say that more research is needed to identify the exact mechanisms involved in this process.
SOURCE: Neurology, published online April 9, 2008