A new study in Sweden suggests that men who have developed Diabetes in middle age will be at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The results of the study have an important impact on public health concerns because there is an increasing number of people who are developing diabetes. This study calls for more intervention in prevention of diabetes developing in middle age.
The study used 2,300 men in Sweden who were tested at the age of fifty for diabetes with a glucose test. After that, the men were followed for 32 years. Out of the 2,300 men, 102 were diagonised with Alzheimer’s disease, 57 men were diagnosed with vascular
Dementia, and 235 succumbed to other types of cognitive impairment, including other types of dementia.
The study shows that the men who have low
Insulin levels at the age of 50 were almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than men who showed no signs of insulin problems. The risk of the disease also increased with other factors such as blood pressure, education,
Cholesterol, and body-mass index.
The researchers found that a link between insulin problems and the disease can greatly impact the importance of insulin in the subject of normal brain function. The researchers can now look to see if insulin can damage blood cells in the brain if there are problems with the level of insulin in the body. This can link to Alzheimer’s but more research is needed in this area.
Depression can also lead to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. In another study recently published, the link shows an increase risk of developing the disease if there is depression evident. It is not clear whether one can cause the other, or whether it is factor of the beginning stages of the disease. More research is needed.
