In the United States, there are presently five million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that slowly leads to significant loss of cognitive abilities producing a dementia state. Histopathologically, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by amyloid plaques, an abnormal protein precipitated in the brain and neurofibrillary tangles, another abnormal protein tau precipitated in the brain. Beyond these pathological changes, however, there are a host of metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms at work, all of which lead to brain cell death and destruction.
There are an estimated 24 million Americans in the United States with diabetes, 95% of these diabetics are classified as type II diabetics. This type of diabetes is felt to be largely preventable and in its early stages, even reversible. Obesity and inactivity are the two major risk factors leading to this disorder. Excessive circulating blood sugar levels lead to increasing secretion of insulin which is required for the metabolism of this sugar.
Increasing insulin leads to what is known as insulin resistance, which means that the cells no longer are as sensitive to insulin at its usual levels when metabolizing glucose. This leads to increasing production of insulin from the pancreas, the major organ for insulin production. Ultimately, the pancreas can no longer keep up the demand, the blood sugar circulating becomes larger and the patient suffers from type II diabetes.
There is a 30 to 60% increased risk of the development of Alzheimer’s disease in patients suffering from type II diabetes. Many of the same metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms present in brains of patients with type II diabetes are also present in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This close relationship has led to the suggestion that Alzheimer’s is actually type III or a third type of diabetes. The data to support this however is very conflicting and therefore, makes this conclusion at this time somewhat inadequate. Not everyone with Alzheimer’s disease has diabetes and not all patients with diabetes have Alzheimer’s disease. Even so said, there is no doubt that there remains a very close relationship between diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.
If we cannot prevent Alzheimer’s disease, and if there is increased risk of Alzheimer’s in patients with type II diabetes, what can we do to help prevent type II diabetes and therefore, perhaps postpone the onset of Alzheimer’s disease? Below, are a few suggestions to help avoid the memory problems associated with insulin and blood sugar abnormalities seen in diabetics.
• Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercises help your body’s cells, specifically brain cells, to become more sensitive to insulin, therefore, reducing the effect of insulin resistance. Just 30 minutes of brisk walking every other day is all that it takes.
• Watch your weight. Obesity increases circulating sugar and increases insulin resistance, leading to type II diabetes and perhaps if such a disorder actually exists, type III diabetes.
• Stay away from sugars and syrups, high carbohydrate foods and refined grain, all of which can increase your blood sugar, causing the above-mentioned cascade of increasing insulin and therefore insulin resistance.
• Sleep regularly. Seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Lack of sleep tends to increase insulin leading to increased body weight and increasing insulin resistance.
• Lastly, have regular medical assessments to check fasting blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Control of blood pressure and lipids reduces risk factors.
• If you suffer from diabetes, follow your physician’s suggestions for managing your blood sugar levels.
Although we cannot prevent Alzheimer’s disease at the present time, we can reduce some of the risk factors and preventing and/or controlling type II diabetes is a major start in this direction.