The similarities between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease have long been known. On the one hand, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is increased in the presence of type 2 diabetes, especially old.
On the other hand, many studies show that in a similar way to diabetes, an alteration of glucose metabolism in the brain (its main source of energy) is associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.
A recent study, still in progress (1), shows that a high-glycemic diet correlates with an abnormal accumulation of amyloid proteins, thus increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Many elements suggest that some manifestations of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease are a kind of brain diabetes
Insulin resistance, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), oxidative stress… many elements suggest that some manifestations of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease are a kind of brain diabetes also called type 3 diabetes.
These findings point to a promising therapeutic strategy: in the same way in the same way that we managed to balance type 2 diabetes, the drug treatments and lifestyle and dietary measures used for this type 2 diabetes could become treatments for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s more effective than those currently used for this disease.
(1): M. K. Taylor and al. A high-glycemic diet is associated with cerebral amyloid burden in cognitively normal older adults. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2017
