Diabetes/Alzheimer’s connection? And what does it mean to us?

I read this article a couple of days ago and I’ve been thinking about it ever since:

(AP by way of MSNBC)

Alzheimer’s patients put diabetes pill to the test
New theory suggests diabetes drug could help slow brain decay

WASHINGTON – A provocative new theory suggests that one root cause of Alzheimerms disease is linked to diabetes — a theory about to be tested in thousands of Alzheimer’s patients given the diabetes drug Avandia in hopes of slowing brain decay.

It’s a scary scenario: Alzheimer’s already is expected to skyrocket as the population grays, rising from 4.5 million sufferers today to a staggering 14 million by 2050. If the new theory is right, the nation’s current obesity-fueled epidemic of Type 2 diabetes could worsen that toll.

But proponents see potential good news: If diabetic-like changes in the way brain cells use sugar to generate energy truly trigger Alzheimer’s in at least some patients, then maybe doctors could intervene early and slow down that degeneration.

(snip)

The Avandia research suggests a more insidious connection: that Alzheimer’s can be silently triggered when brain cells can’t properly use their main fuel, sugar — just as Type 2 diabetes is triggered when insulin gradually loses its ability to process sugar body-wide.

“When they’re in an insulin-resistant state, it does not just affect the body, it affects the brain as well,” explains Suzanne Craft of the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, who led the initial research.

(snip)

The new theory: The metabolism of neurons’ internal power factors, called mitochondria, go awry so that those cells don’t use enough sugar. That eventually leads to impaired brain cell function, including the buildup of that gunky beta-amyloid. It also means that neurons in youth and middle age don’t sprout enough communication connections, providing less “cognitive reserve” once their neurons start dying off.

(read more of the full article)

As a diabetic, I think this is a good news/bad news article. It’s good that we are learning more about the interconnectedness of these diseases. This story is making my brain reel. And it makes me wonder if the popular ingredient high-fructose-corn-syrup has fueled both the rising level of diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

But, I was really hoping that I could stop taking diabetes medication after I lose enough weight. And this story makes it clear to me that it won’t be as easy a decision as I thought it would be. I’ll be watching for more information about those Clinical Trials.

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