Scientists find a link between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease

Diabetes and diseases like Alzheimer's have a strong connection
Alzheimer's is a disease that primarily affects the elderly. Many of these people also have problems with their blood sugar. Researchers have now discovered that there is a much stronger link between Alzheimer's and diabetes than previously thought. The deviations of the blood sugar level lead to a degeneration of our brain.

Researchers from Aberdeen University in Scotland found out in an investigation that diabetes increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Due to the problems with the blood sugar, a degeneration of our brain can be triggered. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Diabetologia".

Researchers discover a connection between diabetes and brain damage. Therefore, it is not surprising that about 80 percent of all elderly people with Alzheimer's suffer from diabetes. (Image: the_lightwriter / fotolia.com)

Diabetic complications lead to brain damage in mice
It is known that up to 80 percent of older Alzheimer's patients have blood sugar problems or already suffer from diabetes, the doctors say. According to the researchers, diabetes increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. In their investigation, the experts observed that diabetic complications in the blood of test mice led to brain damage.

44 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease
The new discovery may lead to more effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, said lead author Bettina Platt of Aberdeen University in Scotland. For Alzheimer's there is no known cure and the disease is diagnosed only when the brain damage is already too strong to be reversed. It is estimated that there are approximately 44 million people with Alzheimer's disease in the world, experts say.

80 percent of Alzheimer's patients also suffer from diabetes
Some medications may be particularly effective when patients have both Alzheimer's and diabetes, the doctors say. These medicines may be able to break the harmful cycle, explains Platt. The team of scientists worked with endocrinologists to find out why both diseases co-exist in up to 80 percent of Alzheimer's patients.

Gene in the brain leads to a toxic structure of proteins
The new findings are extremely interesting, because Alzheimer's apparently was not inherited in the vast majority of people, but is triggered by so-called lifestyle factors or other diseases, the scientists explain. The researchers found that a gene in the brain leads to a toxic buildup of proteins, which then causes irreversible memory loss and can also cause diabetic complications.

Diabetes and dementia favor each other
So far, we have always assumed that mostly obese people get type 2 diabetes, say the authors. As a result, they later develop dementia. Now, however, it has become clear through the new investigation that this effect can also be reversed, says Platt. She added that it can be assumed that the risk of diabetes is reduced by eating healthy people and paying attention to their weight. At the same time, the risk of Alzheimer's disease can be reduced, explains the researcher. (As)