Diabetes May be Linked to Alzheimer's

Studies show that there is a greater dementia risk for people with diabetes and prediabetes. People with diabetes may be twice as likely to develop memory problems and dementia as they age, including Alzheimer's studies show. This risk also apprears to be hightened among people with prediabetes-people who are on the verge of developing diabetes. Exactly how diabetes and dementia are linked is not fully iunderstood. But the new findings add to growing evidence that what is good for our hearts may also be good for our brains.

An important study was published in Neurology. In the study, 1,017 people 60 and older were given a glucose tolerance test to see if they had diabetes or prediabetes. Researchers from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, followed the participants for around 11 years and then tested them for dementia. In that time, 232 people developed Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Forty one of 150 people with diabetes developed dementia. By contrast, 115 of the 559 people without diabetes developed dementia. An increased risk for dementia was also found in people with prediabetes.

Zoe Arvanitakis, MD, says many questions remain regarding the relationship between diabetes and dementia. Arvanitakis is a neurologist at the Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush Unviersity Medical Center in Chicago. For starters, how are the two conditions linked? There are some plausible explanation, she says. Diabetes is known to increase stroke risk, and strokes can lead to mental problems and dementia. If you lower you risk for diabetes, might you prevent the onset of Alheimer's disease or other types of age-related dementia? It is too early to say that, but "food that is good for the heart is also good for the brain," Arvanitakis says. Some of the same heart healthy habits that help lower diabetes risk, such as getting regular exercise and not smoking, may also improve the health of your brain. "It's too premature to say if you prevent diabetes, you would not develop dementia," she says.

There are other things besides diabetes and prediabetes that may increase risk for dementia, such as family history. "The mechanism linking diabetes and dementia still needs to be sorted out," Arvanitakis says. "It is important to stay healthy and prevent vascular risk factors from getting out of hand, If you have diabetes, get your blood sugar under control." Heart disease and stroke risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. Exercise regular and eat a balanced diet, too. "Hopefully, this will help in the long run, She says.

Rachel Witmer, PhD, says that it's not just diabetes and blood sugar abnormalities that may increase dementia risk either. She is a research scientist and epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research in Oakland, California. Previous studies have shown that high cholesterol levels also raise a person's risk for developing Alzeheimer's disease and other types of dementia. "The silver lining to the cloud is that yes, vascular risk factors are also associated with dementia, but they are modifiable," she says. "You can change your cholesterol levels with exercise and diet." The same holds true for diabetes and prediabetes. "Understand that what is good for the heart is good for the brain and even though dementia shows up late in life, you need to start thinking about it sooner," Whitmer says.