Scientists pinpoint blood sugar-Alzheimer's 'tipping point'
Sunny_Bunny_
Posts: 7,140 Member
"Scientists have now unravelled the specific molecular link between glucose and Alzheimer's disease."
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15112941.Scientists_pinpoint_blood_sugar_Alzheimer_s__tipping_point_/
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15112941.Scientists_pinpoint_blood_sugar_Alzheimer_s__tipping_point_/
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That's a great article and encouraging for Alzheimer's research. My grandmother died last year after suffering Alzheimer's for the last 2 years of her life. She was T2 diabetic and, being Irish, had lived on a diet of potatoes with every meal and HUGE amounts of sugar and processed flour as she was almost constantly baking. She'd been very much overweight throughout her life. She did get to 93, but those last few years were horrific, both for her and our family. If combating Alzheimer's is as simple as making fairly straightforward diet changes then this could really push the science forward towards a cure!7
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My mom passed away from Alzheimers at the young age of 69. She spent her 50's and 60's being over weight, very high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My dad worked on bakery equipment and always brought home amazing treats quite often. We ate pretty balanced meals but I know it was too high in sugar. That's one of the reasons I keep my sugar intake very low.3
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Alzheimer's runs through half of my husbands family so it's been a fear of mine. Fortunately he's embraced LCHF. Thank you for the link!!!3
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I wish they had actually linked to some ways to reduce sugar and dietary plans that focus on the same... Even as possible or tangential things...2
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My grandmother and her mother both had dimensia, after reading all about blood sugar etc. and how high carb diets can promote diabetes, this post had me remembering that my grandmother also had diabetes and was very overweight. I am convinced too that the high carbs is a direct link and getting on a LC diet could Americans to reverse the obesity trend (which is scary when you see the chart!)2
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I appreciate the link from a hindsight, personal perspective. I reflect on my Mom's health history which included high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, possible dementia or could have been the stroke related. Ultimately it was colo-rectal cancer metastasized to her pancreas that took her life. One can find many studies indicating correlation of all these diseases to high sugar intake. She definitely loved her honey buns and little debbie cake nutty buddies as well as "mostly vegetarian" status in her latter years.
Good reminder, the article. 3 -
@Sunny_Bunny_ thanks so much for the link. It's so very interesting to me. My mother-in-law had Alzheimer's and we took care of her for 7 years until she died in September of 2015. She had an enormous craving for sweet things. I remember reading that this was a similar occurrence in other people with dementia. I have to believe it's all related in some way. Even after she couldn't function on her own anymore she was still drawn to sweet things. I'm convinced if you left an entire cake out where she could get to it that she would have eaten the entire thing by herself it was that strong.2
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Wow, thanks for posting that very interesting link. I had no idea the 2 were linked. It just amazes me how our diet can so easily affect our health.1
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I'm so sorry to hear about all of your personal experiences with this devastating disease.
I wanted to link this other study from 2008.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/3 -
Thanks, @Sunny_Bunny_.
Here's an interesting article that cites that 2008 study:
Unraveling Alzheimer’s: Making Sense of the Relationship between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927856/Several studies have found that people with AD have significantly higher levels of insulin and glucose than healthy controls [13, 15, 54]. In a large sample longitudinal study of elderly subjects, Luchsinger et al. conclude that 39% of AD in their sample was attributable to hyperinsulinemia or diabetes [55]. This is also consistent with earlier findings of Ott et al. that diabetics that were treated with insulin had far greater risk of AD [43, 44].The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that testing for glucose tolerance should occur early and often.
There is no downside to glucose tolerance testing other than minor cost, and the upside could be the earlier identification and treatment of pre-diabetes and diabetes. Given the evidence of a very strong association between hyperinsulinemia and AD (and other forms of dementia), every patient with AD or mild cognitive impairment should be regularly tested for glucose intolerance.
Furthermore, obesity is also strongly associated with hyperinsulinemia [97] and diabetes [102], and thus, not surprisingly, increases the risk of AD [103]. Given the widespread prevalence of obesity, pre-diabetes, and diabetes, glucose intolerance testing should become a standard part of regular health screening in the broader population.
According to the American Diabetes Association, of the 29.1 million Americans with diabetes in 2012, 8.1 million (28%) were undiagnosed. Furthermore, 86 million Americans are estimated to be pre-diabetic (i.e., have impaired glucose tolerance) and most will have no symptoms that are recognizable without medical testing [104]. Early identification of, and intervention for, diabetes and prediabetes could significantly lessen the impact of both diabetes and AD.1 -
Interestingly, my grandmother on my fathers side would appear to be a bit of an outlier. Old school Irish, but never weighed over 100 lbs. soaking wet, and never had the first blood sugar problem. Alzheimer's still got her in her late 80s though.0
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Interestingly, my grandmother on my fathers side would appear to be a bit of an outlier. Old school Irish, but never weighed over 100 lbs. soaking wet, and never had the first blood sugar problem. Alzheimer's still got her in her late 80s though.
She may be an outlier or not. Consider India - their diabetes rate is skyrocketing but their obesity rate is not. IR doesn't need a lot of fat. There could be a link. Or not.4 -
Just saw a news program on tv last night about early onset alzheimer's affecting a family and they related it to a gene expression. Sadly, no mention of diet whatsoever. Just the fact that there is no effective treatment or cure for alzheimers. They are now testing a new drug on the family. I just want to shout to the world Try Keto!!!!!! No one should suffer needlessly!3
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Remember, @Gallowmere1984 - that for some, insulin resistance can actually be a protective response that prevents glucose numbers from hitting highs. It can take a NUMBER of years to have insulin issues before it shows in the glucose arena. Because the body can overpump insulin to manage the glucose, and still have the mental negative effects of high glucose even though standard testing may never show it... I have insulin tests myself going back a few years that indicate issues, and my glucose and A1C numbers still aren't in prediabetic levels, even though I know that's the path I'm on if I don't continue to reverse and manage the issues. So it's highly possible that your grandmother's body was protecting her with massive insulin boosts that never manifested in any other way...due to her age and progression of disease. So, it is absolutely possible that her disease and progression took a different path, but insulin resistance is just another indication of internal bodily protection that's a flag for other issues - but most people and doctor's don't know or commonly test for it...3
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Amy Berger just released her new book The Alzheimer's Antidote
http://www.tuitnutrition.com/2017/03/alzheimers-antidote.html?m=14 -
"They found that, in the early stages of Alzheimer's, glycation damages an enzyme called MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor).
MIF, which plays a role in immune response and insulin regulation, is involved in the response of brain cells called glia to the build up of abnormal proteins in the brain during the disease."
Quote above from the article. I have MS and MIF is also being looked at in the development of that disease. Thanks for the article. My MS has given me cognitive issues and seeing that a connection is being made with for both blood sugars and MS, it makes me wonder, you know?? This article inspires me to keep my blood sugar normal. It had been trending higher over the years until I went LCHF. December's physical had my fbs in the 90s. I check my own with a glucometer daily.
Again, thanks for posting this article.
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Interestingly, my grandmother on my fathers side would appear to be a bit of an outlier. Old school Irish, but never weighed over 100 lbs. soaking wet, and never had the first blood sugar problem. Alzheimer's still got her in her late 80s though.
There are genetic forms of Alzheimer's, too. My friend's husband just died with the disease and half of his siblings died with it as well as his father (and perhaps grandfather though they didn't really diagnose that back then.1 -
"They found that, in the early stages of Alzheimer's, glycation damages an enzyme called MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor).
MIF, which plays a role in immune response and insulin regulation, is involved in the response of brain cells called glia to the build up of abnormal proteins in the brain during the disease."
Quote above from the article. I have MS and MIF is also being looked at in the development of that disease. Thanks for the article. My MS has given me cognitive issues and seeing that a connection is being made with for both blood sugars and MS, it makes me wonder, you know?? This article inspires me to keep my blood sugar normal. It had been trending higher over the years until I went LCHF. December's physical had my fbs in the 90s. I check my own with a glucometer daily.
Again, thanks for posting this article.
Good for you! I doubt you'll look back and wish you'd eaten more desserts - but you'll be glad to have better health than what fate might otherwise have had in store for you.
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I knew there was a link, but expected it to be more than this. So high BG over time just damages the body's ability to fight progression of Alzheimer's once it has started? I always expected high BG's would be more directly linked to the initial cause.
This is encouraging, though. If it doesn't start in the first place, then high BG's won't matter (at least not for Alzheimer's). Isn't that a logical conclusion?2 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »I knew there was a link, but expected it to be more than this. So high BG over time just damages the body's ability to fight progression of Alzheimer's once it has started? I always expected high BG's would be more directly linked to the initial cause.
This is encouraging, though. If it doesn't start in the first place, then high BG's won't matter (at least not for Alzheimer's). Isn't that a logical conclusion?
It's too early to tell. Dale Bredesen is coming with a new book on Alzheimer's this spring with case studies. In recent podcasts he's stated there's 34 hitherto known risk factors for developing Alzheimer's. High BG and glycation end products are only parts of the picture. I recommend his two lectures on THEIMHC and Stemtalk for an intro about the disease. So far I understand it's a complex disease that requires complex and multivariate treatment. No one magic pill.1 -
Foamroller wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »I knew there was a link, but expected it to be more than this. So high BG over time just damages the body's ability to fight progression of Alzheimer's once it has started? I always expected high BG's would be more directly linked to the initial cause.
This is encouraging, though. If it doesn't start in the first place, then high BG's won't matter (at least not for Alzheimer's). Isn't that a logical conclusion?
It's too early to tell. Dale Bredesen is coming with a new book on Alzheimer's this spring with case studies. In recent podcasts he's stated there's 34 hitherto known risk factors for developing Alzheimer's. High BG and glycation end products are only parts of the picture. I recommend his two lectures on THEIMHC and Stemtalk for an intro about the disease. So far I understand it's a complex disease that requires complex and multivariate treatment. No one magic pill.
I mean based on the paper published and summarized in the above link.2 -
@midwesterner85 - Not in this link or paper above, but I have heard that high glucose levels in the brain are what create the uptake, processing, etc. issues in the first place. I don't remember the details, but it had something to do with essentially insulin resistance of the brain cells and the whole storing everything but starving issue... I'll have to dig around and see if I can find other articles.2
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »@midwesterner85 - Not in this link or paper above, but I have heard that high glucose levels in the brain are what create the uptake, processing, etc. issues in the first place. I don't remember the details, but it had something to do with essentially insulin resistance of the brain cells and the whole storing everything but starving issue... I'll have to dig around and see if I can find other articles.
I've heard this as well.
I recall, though I don't know where, that the insulin resistant brain cells starve and die and that is part of the progression. I understood that this is how MCT's are beneficial, by being an energy source those insulin resistant cells can actually use, therefore slowing or maybe even preventing their death.
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I wish I was 20 years younger so I'd have the benefit of more definitive research on this topic
#kiddingnotkidding 3 -
@Sunny_Bunny_ here's the link for Dr. Mary Newport's book which discusses the studies. I just read the updated version about 6 months ago. Although her husband has died since (his was gene related early-onset), there's a lot of updated information there.
I suggest reading it for anyone dealing with dementia (family/friends/caregivers). I borrowed it out of the library.
https://amazon.com/Alzheimers-Disease-What-There-Cure/dp/14596710823 -
I did not realize he had died. 0
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