Link Between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s
Diabetes may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s, but controlling your blood sugar, exercise, and a healthy diet may help.
Although there is a lot of research suggesting there is a connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, those connections are not yet fully understood.
Not all of the various studies confirm there is a connection, but many of the ongoing studies do suggest that people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, are at higher risk of eventually developing Alzheimer’s dementia or any of the other dementias.
Current research is still unclear as to whether taking steps to prevent or control diabetes may help reduce your risk of cognitive decline.
What is the Connection?
Diabetes can cause several complications, one of the most critical is damage to your blood vessels.
Diabetes is considered a risk factor for vascular dementia.
Vascular dementia occurs when there is brain damage that is often caused by reduced or blocked blood flow to the brain.
Many people with diabetes have changes in their brains and these are hallmarks of both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Some researchers feel strongly that each condition fuels the damage caused by the other.
There is ongoing research that is aimed at trying to better understand the link between Alzheimer’s and diabetes.
That link may occur because of the complex ways that type 2 diabetes affects the ability of the brain and other body tissues to utilize sugar (glucose) and respond to insulin.
Diabetes may also experience developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
This is a condition in which people experience more thinking (cognitive) and memory problems than are usually present in normal aging.
Some research indicates that diabetes may increase the risk of MCI worsening because of dementia.
Mild cognitive impairment may precede or accompany Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
As researchers continue to examine the connections between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, they’re also studying potential ways to prevent or treat both diseases.
Reducing your risk
Working with your health care team to prevent diabetes or manage your diabetes is an effective strategy to avoid or reduce many of the complications.
Diabetes prevention or effective diabetes management may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Preventing diabetes or managing it successfully may help you avoid other complications, such as:
Bone and joint problems
Eye damage
Heart disease
Kidney disease
Nerve damage, which may cause pain in your feet or hands (diabetic neuropathy)
Digestive problems (gastroparesis)
Gastroparesis is a condition that affects the normal spontaneous movement of the muscles (motility) in your stomach.
Under normal circumstances, strong muscular contractions propel food through your digestive tract.
Steps to prevent or manage diabetes and avoid potential complications include:
Follow your health care team’s recommendations about the most appropriate plan for monitoring your blood glucose, cholesterol level, and blood pressure.
Eat healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat milk and cheese.
If you’re overweight, eat a healthy diet and exercise to lose weight. Obesity can lead to diabetes and other health problems.
Don’t smoke.
Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.
Examine your feet daily for sores.
Take any prescribed medications on schedule.
Based on research, evidence suggests that in addition to diet and activity changes that lead to weight loss, they are especially effective in reducing diabetes risk.
Even small steps can make a big difference.
People with blood sugar levels slightly above normal (prediabetes) can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than 50 percent through exercise.
30 minutes per day and five days a week can result in a little as a 5 to 7 percent loss in body weight.
For example, for a 200-pound person, that weight loss translates to 10 to 14 pounds.
