(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A long-term study from Sweden shows men who develop
diabetes in mid-life have a significantly higher chance of getting Alzheimer’s
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 Alzheimer’s
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 Alzheimer’s. They say they believe it’s possible
abnormal insulin levels damage blood vessels in the brain, which leads to memory
problems and Alzheimer’s, 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
