Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes Raise Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

People with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, says a new Japanese study. The study included 135 elderly people. Researchers checked the participants’ blood-sugar levels for type 2 diabetes several times during the study, and looked for signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Over the next 10 to 15 years, 16% of the people developed Alzheimer’s. Autopsies found plaques in all of the brains of the people who died of Alzheimer’s and 65% of the other people. Researchers found plaques in 72% of people with insulin resistance but in only 62% of people without insulin resistance. The study appeared in the journal Neurology. HealthDay News and Reuters wrote about it August 25.