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posted by janrinok on Monday October 17 2016, @11:03AM   Printer-friendly
from the I've-forgotten dept.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/bittman-is-alzheimers-type-3-diabetes/

Suzanne de la Monte, a neuropathologist at Brown University, has been working on these phenomena in humans and rats. When she blocked the path of insulin to rats' brains, their neurons deteriorated, they became physically disoriented and their brains showed all the signs of Alzheimer's. The fact that Alzheimer's can be associated with low levels of insulin in the brain is the reason why increasing numbers of researchers have taken to calling it Type 3 diabetes, or diabetes of the brain.

There's a study recruiting participants to see if intranasal insulin can help: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/clinical-trials/study-nasal-insulin-fight-forgetfulness-sniff

But probably helps only if you have the APOE-e4 gene: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287837.php

[...] participants who received 40 IU of insulin detemir and who possessed APOE-e4 - a gene associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's - displayed higher scores on memory tests than participants who received the lower insulin detemir dose or the placebo. Participants who did not have the APOE-e4 gene had lower memory scores, regardless of whether they received a 20 or 40 IU dose of insulin detemir or the placebo.


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  • (Score: 2) by Dogeball on Monday October 17 2016, @12:05PM

    by Dogeball (814) on Monday October 17 2016, @12:05PM (#415172)

    Actually, the research suggests that Alzheimer's disease is in fact a form of diabetes [diabetes.co.uk], i.e. the third type, as there are currently only two accepted types. The (early stage) proposal is to rename 'Alzheimer's' to 'Diabetes (Type 3)'.

    The heading makes it sound like Type 3 diabetes is already a thing, and only a correlation to Alzheimer's has been found.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @12:13PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @12:13PM (#415176)

    Yeah, the summary says the same thing you're saying; it's just the headline that's wrong. If the headline even dropped the words "Type 3" it would be fine.

  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday October 17 2016, @12:13PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday October 17 2016, @12:13PM (#415177)

    The rename will be controversial - it will imply that blood sugar control can prevent or even manage Alzheimers, which, if it can, will probably make the rename stick.

    It will also be controversial because it will lessen the concern over controlling type 2 (acquired) diabetes in early life. In the late 1980s there was a huge campaign to raise awareness that drinking large quantities sugar water for breakfast (and, in general) could lead to diabetes. Nobody seems to get full-blown Alzheimers before about age 60, but type 2 diabetes can onset in teenagers.

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  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @01:53PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @01:53PM (#415194)

    Does this mean we can fat shame people with Alzheimer's?