Alzheimer’s disease has been linked with Type 2 Diabetes in a new study published by Neurology.
The study suggests the possibility that people who suffer with Type 2 Diabetes may form more of the brain “tangles” associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s study followed 124 aging adults with Type 2 Diabetes and almost 700 without.
Some participants had Alzheimer’s, while others had mild problems with memory and thinking.
Some others were mentally sharp with no signs of any form of dementia.
The study found that those with Diabetes had more thinning in the brain’s cortex and had higher levels of tau protein in their spinal fluid.
Tau protein reportedly indicates tangles in the brain.
One theory that researchers put out could be the cause of the link is that Type 2 Diabetes may cause brain abnormalities that pile on to other degenerative changes that ultimately lead to dementia.
Senior researcher Dr. Velandai Srikanth, a geriatrician at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, admitted that the study shows only a correlation between Type 2 Diabetes and brain tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
He said Type 2 Diabetes may or may not be the direct cause since there are many other factors to consider, like obesity. People that have Diabetes are often obese and obese people tend to have more of these tangles.
High blood sugar, an occurrence in those with Type 2 Diabetes, could also be a factor, according to researchers.
The study suggested that people with Type 2 Diabetes carried nearly twice the risk of forming Alzheimer’s brain tangles as those who don’t have it.
Interesting stuff! If you have Type 2 Diabetes, have you experienced any memory loss or other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?