People with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and other adverse cognitive health issues. A new study conducted at by Umeå University, Sweden, shows that the reason for the correlation may be that people with type 2 diabetes have more difficulty getting rid of a protein that potentially increases the likelihood of contracting the disease. The results may be important for further research into possible treatments to counteract the risk of people with type 2 diabetes being affected by Alzheimer's.
" Olov Rolandsson, senior professor at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University, research leader and first author of the study The substances that the researchers have studied are two so-called beta-amyloids, which are among the most important components of the plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers measured the concentrations in the blood of the beta-amyloids Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 as well as the enzyme that breaks down the beta-amyloids in a test group with type 2 diabetes and in a healthy control group. The two groups were given infusion of glucose for four hours, which induced acute hyperglycaemia among the participants in both groups, i.
e. high blood sugar levels, after which repeated samples were taken from the subjects. Immediately after the infusion of the sugar solution, the groups had similar values.
Soon, the values of beta-amyloids fell sharply in the control group, while the.