Studies Link Diabetes to Risk of Alzheimer’s

NY Terrorist Tip Sheet ^ | July 16, 2006 | DENISE GRADY

[neverdem]

Several new studies suggest that diabetes increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, adding to a store of evidence that links the disorders. The studies involve only Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, which is usually related to obesity.

The connection raises an ominous prospect: that increases in diabetes, a major concern in the United States and worldwide, may worsen the rising toll from Alzheimer’s. The findings also add dementia to the cloud of threats that already hang over people with diabetes, including heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and amputations.

But some of the studies also hint that measures to prevent or control diabetes may lower the dementia risk, and that certain diabetes drugs should be tested to find out whether they can help Alzheimer’s patients, even those without diabetes. Current treatments for Alzheimer’s can provide only a modest improvement in symptoms and cannot stop the progression of the disease.

The new findings were presented today at a six-day conference in Madrid by the Alzheimer’s Association and attended by 5,000 researchers from around the world.

Alzheimer’s affects one in 10 people over 65, and nearly half over 85. About 4.5 million Americans have it, and taking care of them costs $100 billion a year, according to the association. The number of patients is expected to grow, possibly reaching 11.3 million to 16 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

But those projections do not even include a possible increase from diabetes.

“Alzheimer’s is going to swamp the health-care system,” said Dr. John C. Morris, a neurology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and an advisor to the Alzheimer’s Association.

In the past decade, several large studies found that, compared to healthy people of the same age and sex, those with Type 2 diabetes were twice as likely...

[muawiyah]

The association among Japanese-American men, mid-life tofu eating, and late life Alzheimers is RICE ~ JAs who eat a lot of tofu also eat a lot of rice, a substance which is almost entirely starch which is instantly turned to glucose.

Unless they find some way to burn that glucose real quick it gets stuffed into their fat cells or into nasty old triglycerides.

[muawiyah]

Nope ~ they kicked the standard down to 110 mg/dl about a year before I was diagnosed. Of course I was running 273 or so, making the "standard" meaningless in my case.

If and when I get it down into the 70s (which is still "normal") I can smell a Crispy Cream 10 miles upwind in a 2 inch per hour downpour.

[muawiyah]

The trick is to get your brain to "use" the insulin it produces, and the way you do that is with challenging mental exercises ~ e.g. researching and writing a book, arguing at Free Republic, etc.

And, lo and behold, vigorous use of your brain/mind complex tends to mitigate the effects of Alzheimers, even if you've got it ~ (I think we have the thread on that research somewhere within the last two weeks).

[Hilltop]

I was going along with your thesis until I noticed you used the word "too" in front of high blood sugar.

Surely, if you have such a high degree of intelligence, you would not have made such a simple error.

I'll take your advice with a grain of salt, and worry not about my kidneys.

Think of a flat rock.

Enjoy your life filled with spreadsheets and monitoring, immerse yourself in the glycemic index.

I'd encourage you to savor a meal, and don't drive. Why?

It's proven that driving can lead to death, as does walking down stairs, boating, swimming, parachuting, hang gliding, breathing, swallowing, eating pretzels, lighting fireworks, et al.

Your life must be tremendously boring. I hope you live a long, boring life.

[tortoise]

And, lo and behold, vigorous use of your brain/mind complex tends to mitigate the effects of Alzheimers, even if you've got it ~ (I think we have the thread on that research somewhere within the last two weeks).

Which is the brain equivalent of physical exercise with respect to Type II diabetes. There have been a few studies now that show that heavier brain utilization mitigates/prevents Alzheimer's. Insulin, like oxygen, is not particularly good for us though necessary and a lot of age related damage is caused by it. Idle insulin is the devil's workshop, so keeping the levels low and the hormone occupied prevents a lot of biological mischief. Insulin related damage increasingly becomes the leading cause of cardiovascular disease after 60.

[neverdem]

Nope ~ they kicked the standard down to 110 mg/dl about a year before I was diagnosed. Of course I was running 273 or so, making the "standard" meaningless in my case.

I'm pretty sure I would have heard or read something in the meanwhile. Update Date: 2/9/2005 for the previous link.

Here's what they write at http://familydoctor.org/327.xml

"Testing (also called "screening") is usually done with a fasting blood test. You'll be tested in the morning, so you shouldn't eat anything after dinner the night before. A normal blood sugar test result is below 110 mg per dL. A test result higher than 125 mg per dL suggests diabetes. However, you should have 2 tests that are higher than 125 mg per dL, on 2 different days, before a diagnosis of diabetes is made. Test results from 110 mg per dL to 125 mg per dL suggest that you have a higher risk of diabetes." Reviewed/Updated: 12/05

It's a minor argument on what the cutoff is, over 100 or over 110 for "prediabetes" also known as impaired glucose tolerance. Over 125 fasting blood glucose on 2 different days is still required for the diagnosis of diabetes, unless you can show me a more recent and authoritative link.

If and when I get it down into the 70s (which is still "normal") I can smell a Crispy Cream 10 miles upwind in a 2 inch per hour downpour.

If your in a hospital and your blood glucose is less that 70, but you're asymptomatic, expect a serving of orange juice with 2 packs of sugar.

[Tall_Texan]

I am a type 2 diabetic,, My a1c is less than 7..I feel that I control it with diet and Actos Last time I saw my doc.. Who once said less than 7 was great now wants it less than 6.. She put me on another pill and a week later I had to stop by a quick shop once to get orange juice because my BS was like low and was feeling sweety out of it and having a hard time driving and was having an adverse reaction to the additional pill.. I mean this is crazy I quit taking that pill and when I test its like 93 to 120.. Tell me what to do.. I have to see her in a week..

I sympathize. I'm also Type II and my A1C started out at 7.1. By taking Avandamet (Avandia and Metformin aka Glucophage) and exercising for an hour a day every other day (mostly walking), I lowered mine to 5.7 - 6.0. When my doctor told me the new level was 6.0, not 7.0, I basically said it was BS. If it was truly SCIENCE, why did they drop it from one round number to another round number? Can't they say that 6.8 was the new benchmark or 6.4? No. They jump from 7.0 to 6.0. In short, NIH or CDC or whomever makes these guidelines is full of sh!t.

The problem is that your doctor is always going to want to "play it safe" because they are paranoid of malpractice suits. Therefore, they are bullied into the national guidelines whether they agree with them or not.

Personally, I feel my best when my glucose is around 120. The "experts" claim that's too high. They want it at 90-110. When I get below 100, I feel weak and tired.

Keep in mind that any sugar measurement is a snapshot and not the be-all-end-all your doctors treat it like. The important thing is to watch what foods give you a sugar spike and learn to do without them. Exercise often. See if your medicine may work better by taking 1/2 doses every 12 hours rather than one dose every 24 hours. Check into other types of medication (there's a new one that gives you a 30-day "shot" with some +/- side effects). Bottom line, read everything you can get your hands on so you can take control of your health rather than letting your doctor control it. If you're in the 6's, you don't have that much modification to do but find what works and then stick with it.

Good luck. (Sorry to hijack the thread)

[neverdem]

She put me on another pill and a week later I had to stop by a quick shop once to get orange juice because my BS was like low and was feeling sweety out of it and having a hard time driving and was having an adverse reaction to the additional pill.. I mean this is crazy I quit taking that pill and when I test its like 93 to 120.. Tell me what to do.. I have to see her in a week..

Sounds like symptomatic hypoglycemia to me. I would stop the new pill. Bring one of the new pills to the office next week. You can take it there and she can check your blood glucose if she doesn't believe you. This may take a few hours before it takes effect. You may want to bring a book, run some errands in the meantime, etc. It should take about the same amount of time as it took on the day you described earlier. Then she can document the effect. Docs are often very sceptical of a patient's history. The notion of patient non-compliance is always in the back of their heads.

[GOPJ]

How about the switch from sugar to high fructose corn syrup by the food and drink factories...

What have you heard about this?

[Myrddin]

My dad got into a wretched breakfast ritual. A big bowl of sliced fruit, a bowl of whole grain cereal with milk, donuts, coffee, small wrapped chocolate candies on the table, orange or cranberry juice. A whole month's worth of carbs every morning.

When I was sticking to Atkins, I would keep my carb target under 20 per day. It easily goes over that even when you are trying to avoid it. I'm very aware of a low blood sugar condition. I would experience hypoglycemic rebounds from a can of real Mountain Dew when I was in my 20's. It still happens today if I foolishly consume high glycemic index carbs. It causes a shaking, nervous feeling that makes it difficult to write with a pencil. A normal low just causes a tired, depressed feeling.

[stockpixx]

Thanks for the info.. When I was told I was a type2 I was pissed.. I love pasta bread and potatoes but over time like a month I tried to conform,,, and brought it down to 6.9.. I count carbs never eat real sugar but need to exercize more

Thanks stay in touch.. Kay
BTW how many carbs do you eat a day??

[neverdem]

Too Many Doctors in the House

Science and Ethics at Crucial Crossroads

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the post & source.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Does type 2 diabetes also come from consuming a lot of sugar?

[31R1O]

Watch it with Mercola, I think he may be a bit of a quack. I have read some of his research papers and I don't think any of them are peer reviewed. If you know differently I'd like to hear what you think.

P.S. Mercola isn't even an M.D., he's an Osteopath.

[neverdem]

Does type 2 diabetes also come from consuming a lot of sugar?

It's a very complicated subject. Suffice to say, genetic predisposition, lack of exercise and excess calorie consumption equals bad news. The links in comments 16 and 26 might shed some light.

[neverdem]

P.S. Mercola isn't even an M.D., he's an Osteopath.

When Osteopaths have unrestricted licenses to practice medicine and surgery, when the federal government provides three and four year scholarships for completing their degrees, what is your problem with any D.O.?

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

For your comment and references to other posts about type 2 diabetes, much appreciated.

[Calpernia]

My husband is an Osteopath.

[muawiyah]

As you undoubtedly know Type II diabetics ALWAYS have a "high blood sugar level" compared to those considered "normal". Ergo, dumping in more sugar on top of what you already have is not a good idea. Ergo, refering to that particular sugar, that is, "more sugar", as "too" is absolutely, totally correct for a Type II diabetic.