Diabetics at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s
People suffering from insulin resistance or type-2 diabetes could stand a greater risk of developing brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease, a new research has revealed.
The study conducted by Japanese researchers at the Kyushu University in Fukuoka indicated that people with high levels of fasting insulin had nearly six times more chances of having plaque deposits between nerves in the brain, compared with those who have very low levels of fasting insulin.
The team also found that patients whose cells were less able to use insulin had a five-times higher risk of developing brain plaques compared to those who scored low on the insulin-resistance test.
The risk of Alzheimer's disease pathology increased in a linear relationship with diabetes related factors, says study author Dr. Kensuke Sasaki in a report published in the online edition of the medical journal Neurology.
The United States and India have a large number of people suffering from type-2 diabetes and the latest study has worried healthcare experts that this could result in additional pressure on care systems for Alzheimer's patients in years to come.
The study used autopsies from 125 Japanese adults to check whether indicators of insulin resistance or type-2 diabetes correlated with the development of brain plaque or neurofibrillary tangles in the dying cells of the brain. The autopsied bodies were of people who died between 1998 and 2003 and had undergone tests in 1988 as part of a study on brain and heart health.
After adjusting the data for age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol, body-mass index, smoking and exercise, the research team analyzed the data in which it found that there was no association between diabetes risk factors and development of tangles.
However, it was found that higher levels of blood sugar and high fasting insulin levels were associated with an increasing risk of developing plaque in the brain. In addition, they also found a linear association between fasting insulin levels and brain plaque.
Additionally, they also found that a gene called "ApoE4" suspected to cause Alzheimer's disease had an impact on the above association. Those with this gene had the strongest association between high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and brain plaque.