Diabetes Drug May Be a Golden Ticket to Cure Alzheimer’s

Diabetes is a growing problem in America, and all over the world, today. Currently, almost 10% of the American population carries a diagnosis of diabetes, and 1.5 million new cases are added each year. Diabetes disproportionately strikes older Americans, with more than 25% of people over the age of 65 affected.

Diabetes impacts an individual’s overall health in a number of ways, including increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage, and amputation. One of the most frightening effects it can have is increasing a person’s risk of dementia. Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes or lifestyle-induced diabetes, is known to increase the risk of developing dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Scientists wonder: could a drug that treats diabetes also cure Alzheimer’s disease?

The Link Between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists are working hard to determine the link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Statistics show that there is, indeed, a relationship between the two conditions. Up to 80% of individuals over the age of 65 who have dementia may also have Type 2 diabetes. It is clear that Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, in which the cells of the body no longer respond to insulin. Insulin normally helps shuttle sugar from the blood into cells, so insulin resistance causes sugar to build up in the bloodstream.

Alzheimer’s disease occurs when two types of protein, tau proteins, and amyloid proteins, build up in the brain, causing tangles and plaques that interfere with normal brain function and eventually cause brain cell death. There seems to be a connection between insulin resistance and the development of these proteins: fruit flies with insulin resistance are unable to clear tau proteins from the brain. If insulin resistance interferes with the body’s ability to clear the proteins that cause Alzheimer’s disease, could treating insulin resistance treat Alzheimer’s?

New Drug Treatments on the Horizon

Scientists have work in both human and animal models revealing potential diabetes drug treatments that may cure Alzheimer’s disease. Human studies have already established that controlling blood sugar reduces the risk of developing dementia. They’ve also revealed that treating humans with inhaled insulin reduces cognitive impairment, a sign of pre-dementia.

The most promising is a new study in which mice were treated with a diabetes drug combination already known to be safe for humans: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. Scientists took mice that were bred to carry a mutation that causes Alzheimer’s and treated them with this drug regimen daily for 2 months. Then, they were placed in a maze designed to test memory. The mice showed improved memory skills in the maze as well as lower levels of protein plaques in the brain, a lower rate of overall nerve cell death, and lower levels of nerve inflammation.

Those hoping to cure Alzheimer’s disease and to prevent Alzheimer’s in patients already diagnosed with diabetes are looking for more answers with this valuable line of research. The results are promising. This diabetes drug just might be the golden ticket!

For more information on diabetes, be sure to read our other article: Sugary Drinks Increase Risk of Hypertension and Diabetes

Resources:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4515722/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5738035/