New evidence links diabetes, Alzheimer’s
Published 9:00 pm Monday, May 17, 2004
CHICAGO – Diabetes might significantly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, a study of 824 nuns, priests and Catholic brothers found, bolstering the evidence linking the two diseases.
The participants in the study were 55 and older when the research began and were followed for an average of about six years. Alzheimer’s developed in 151 participants, including 31 who had diabetes.
The researchers calculated that diabetics faced a 65 percent increased risk of developing the mind-robbing disease.
The link remained strong even when the researchers factored in the prevalence of strokes, which are a common complication of diabetes and are also believed to raise the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Previous research has linked diabetes with memory problems, and diabetes is known to damage blood vessels that supply the brain. But studies looking specifically at diabetes and Alzheimer’s have had conflicting results.
“This is one of the first long-term studies to follow people who start out with no evidence of Alzheimer’s disease and track how having diabetes affects their risk of developing it,” said William Thies, vice president for medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer’s Association. “It’s a powerful argument for doing everything you can to control your blood sugar.”
