Alzheimer's Could Be a Third Form of Diabetes 251
Atzanteol writes "Insulin, it turns out, may be as important for the mind as it is for the body. Research in the last few years has raised the possibility that Alzheimer's memory loss could be due to a novel third form of diabetes. Scientists at Northwestern University have discovered why brain insulin signaling — crucial for memory formation — would stop working in Alzheimer's disease."
The Bleeding edge of Alzheimer's research (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Hmm (Score:3, Interesting)
Smoking? (Score:3, Interesting)
of brain-related diseases (alzheimers(sp?), parkinsons).
Anyone care to comment?
Not to be a nitpicker... (Score:5, Interesting)
Type 1, Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (alias "Juvenile Diabetes")
Type 2, Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (alias "adult-onset diabetes")
(Type 3) Gestational Diabetes
(Type 4, implied by TFA) Alzheimer's
As a side note, this comment was posted by a Type 1 diabetic.
Re:The Bleeding edge of Alzheimer's research (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Smoking? (Score:5, Interesting)
The previous comments, that smoking causes a 'differential mortality' that biassed the early studies are basically right. The current consensus, based on prospective studies that do not suffer from these problems is that smoking slightly raises your risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Smoking is also a major risk factor for stroke and other vascular disease, that lead to 'multi-infarct' or 'vascular' dementia, which accounts for just as many dementia cases as AD. So to help avoid dementia, give up smoking.
Re:I hope not... I'm getting tired of diabetes new (Score:5, Interesting)
Minimized sugar intake in general as well.. and I'm haven't had a cup of coffee since May... and I'm still productive as a programmer.
After the initial, small withdrawal symptoms I'm feeling lot better too. My focus is sharper and I'm feeling more creative too.
Re:Hmm (Score:4, Interesting)
What's your problem with this finding? Fine, you can't sell social activity as a treatment so pharma isn't interested, but there is huge amounts of reliable evidence that being socially active helps prevent dementia. Its a pretty easy thing to prospectively measure too.
Put 'social activity' and 'dementia' into Google Scholar and see what you come up with. And do that in future before you start trolling. Some medical science on here isn't all that good, but most of it is pretty sound.
(I should point out that as I post this I am also writing a commentary on risk factors for AD for the American Psychiatric Association. So I do not usually give medical advice, but I do advise the people that do.)
Re:Not to be a nitpicker... (Score:5, Interesting)
Do try to keep up with the times.
Re:I hope not... I'm getting tired of diabetes new (Score:5, Interesting)
I doubt aspartame affect it, it doesn't raise insulin levels, acesulfame-k does if I remember right and they both come together. But it still doesn't do it close to what real carbs would do.
Fructose metabolism skips one step in the body somehow so that's not good for it atleast, so all that high fructose corn syrup you americans have in your soft drinks won't help. Sure there are some fructose in fruits aswell (together with regular saccarose and glucose) but atleast then you get other good stuff aswell with it. So I don't suggest not eating fruit because some of the sugars aren't that great, but why eat the sugar alone?
Re:You know what's great about Alzheimer's? (Score:3, Interesting)
Anyway, I just cannot get my mind wrapped around the idea of a nursing home where the staff doesn't even change patients diapers as it is a normal procedure for me with most of my patients, normally at least twice per shift. Is this normal in nursing homes in your country?
Re:I hope not... I'm getting tired of diabetes new (Score:4, Interesting)
Because of the influence and greed of the industrial farming lobby (ADM and friends), and despite numerous studies [wikipedia.org] that show that HFCS is harmful, Americans continue to be subjected to this stuff in most of what they eat and drink.
It makes me sick. Literally.
Re:I hope not... I'm getting tired of diabetes new (Score:3, Interesting)
Good job!
If people knew more about caffeine, they wouldn't drink it in such concentrated amounts, like, ever. Some people here know its chemical structure, but that's not nearly enough to claim to be educated about it.
Here's how it works. Your brain gets energy by breaking down ATP and ADP, just like every other system. Eventually, it ends up with a bunch of free adenosine floating about (that's the "A" in ATP), which binds to adenosine neuroreceptors. This binding has an inhibitory action on the synapse - that is, it tends to keep all but the strongest signals from getting across. This is what makes your brain feel tired and less functional after working it for a long time.
Caffeine works by binding to the same receptors but not having the same effect. (It's an "adenosine antagonist".) It doesn't directly make you think better - the buzz is physiological, from other effects - it just keeps you alert and functioning, even when you ought to be tired.
Here's the problem: when you ingest a significant amount and antagonize adenosine receptors too much, the brain re-regulates by exposing more receptors. Whoops! Those four cups of coffee just aren't doing it for you anymore... better make it five... Eventually, you can't function properly without it, and you'll need it just to feel normal. Ceasing caffeine intake is the only way to get back, and there will be a nasty withdrawal period while you wait for your brain to figure out that it's got too many adenosine receptors and re-regulate again.
I'm not touching the stuff. It's probably fine for an all-nighter or two every once in a while, but not for daily consumption.