Podcast on the Diabetes Continuum
 

http://powerhealthtalk.com/alzheimer...he-problem.htm

Here is a link to a podcast episode where the subject matter revolves around Alzheimer's disease, but also extensively talks diabetes being on a continuum. Note that 30 minutes into the podcast they talk about Neurologists treating pre-diabetic SFN patients with diabetes medications and are looked down upon by their colleagues because they are not following the standard of care. Hopefully this is helpful to some members on this forum :).

A lot of people call Alzheimer's Disease "Diabetes Type 3."

There was just an article in the Wall Street Journal this week that nicely summarized ongoing research.

Diabetes May Be a Risk Factor for Developing Alzheimer’s, Studies Find

http://www.wsj.com/articles/diabetes...ind-1432583222

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I WONT go that far as to call it diabetes #3, its a misleading title. I read somewhere that when people have type 2 diabetes, they form some kind of plaque in thier pancreas, like the amyoloid plauqes in alzheimers, maybe thats where they are trying to draw the connection

Here is more on this subject:

http://journal.frontiersin.org/artic...014.00161/full

The label type 3 diabetes has been in the medical literature for several years now - at least since 2005.

Yes, been hearing it for several years.

That link is a wormhole to information, some above my head, but all interesting.

Ok, I read the article. I have Type 2 Diabetes - only 2 years. I have MANY white matter lesions in my brain (too soon to be caused by Diabetes), I'm 53. My dear Mum was devastated by Alzheimer's, her memory after aged 6 wiped away.

While there MAY be links between uncontrolled blood sugar and ameloid formation, anyone who thinks that Diabetes and Alzheimer's are of the same Family have never had a Loved One stricken with any type of Dementia - had their life and self stripped away from them, had the family shattered by this cruellest of conditions.

Dave.

Dementia is a terrible disease indeed. I think way too many of us have a loved one in our life that has been touched by this disease or something close to it. My father has Huntington's disease which is like rolling ALS, Alzheimers, and Schizophrenia into one condition. We need to find solutions to these medical problems.

My mother died of Alzheimer's. And, yes, I do believe there could be a similar root cause/contributing factor of both Alzheimer's and Diabetes Type II.

For those who, like MrsD says, don't follow links:

Here is what I believe to be a relevant quote from the article that appears in the Wall Street Journal here:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/diabetes...ind-1432583222

==I am worried enough with the genetic predisposition and early onset lesions/ memory and cognitive issues (although I attribute some of this to meds) to have speculative links of my Diabetic condition being another trigger.

Dave.

To clarify the earlier statement, quoted below, that I made in an earlier Post:

==I was referring to Researchers who are prone to making offhand 'Professional' statements with the bare minimum of data or facts, and who have no personal experience of either condition. I did not mean to negate the beliefs of fellow Members who HAVE the experiences these Researchers lack.

Dave.

I look at it a completely different way. If they can conclusively substantiate a link between AD and blood glucose issues, that brings diet into play as a means of trying to prevent development of the horrid disease. It puts some additional control into our hands because if there's ONE thing we can control, it's what we put in our mouths. That scenario is infinitely better than sitting back and hoping genetics doesn't just play out.

So stay mentally and physically active and now eat right to reduce your risk? It sounds pretty much like the ticket to stave off a lot of problems.

The appropriately named MIND diet is the one in the news, but it seems to have some components to it that would conflict with glucose management for someone with IGT.

New 'MIND' diet linked to reduced risk of Alzheimer's

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/291073.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25681666

10 foods to eat per the MIND diet, 5 foods to avoid, nicely summarized at the end of this article:

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/...-risk-dementia

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And it's also good to remember that we aren't our genetics (except those that have something like Huntington's disease or are at risk for Huntington's disease - it is gene defect). Diseases are often complicated and multi-factorial; diseases express when our genetics and environment interact. So we just have to do our best to take charge of our environment by living the healthiest lifestyle we can. :)

Again, another diet where elements contradict recommendations from other areas of expertese… and I note with some dismay that this study average only ran for 4.5 years - not a long time in the course of Alzheimer's decay. Even my Mum's most devastating type took 8 years to run it's inevitable course, and cognitive decline may have been hidden from us for longer.

Personally, I am much more excited by the link at the bottom of the article which leads here:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290801.php

A potential ultrasound treatment for those already suffering from plaque build-up.

Dave.

madisongrrl,

I agree, especially with Alzheimer's as it is the topic, that there are multiple factors. Personally, I believe that humans simply were not originally 'made' to live as long as modern nutrition and medicine allow. We simply wear out.

My dear Mum had a Country upbringing, the best fresh, organic (before the craze) home-grown foods, and adult life was healthy, apart from breast cancer. Her Mother had Dementia at the end of a similar life. My sister is showing brain shrinkage at age 60. That, at least shows a predisposition over 3 generations aside of outside influence - but that is just my family, and my personal experiences.

However, maybe my Mum and Grandmother both made it to around 70 before severe symptoms simply because they ate so healthily?! I inherited my Dad's heart and genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer - chances are I won't get that far:D

Dave

Yes, I wholeheartedly believe this, especially in the case of Alzheimer's. I'm fortunate to not have inherited the APOE4 variant from my mom which increases risk, but I'm not "resting on my laurels" of that genetic good fortune as it's just one of many involved genes.

And lifestyle of course plays a huge role too. I'm infinitely more active both physically and mentally than Mom was, and intend to keep it that way. With preliminary research showing possible ties between AD and glucose issues, it's all the more reason to carefully watch my diet and have good glucose management which is what I've been doing anyway.

Totally agree! We need to stack the deck in our favor.

I don't have known diabetes or any glucose issues, but I did buy a glucose meter and am going to do some of my own investigations. Leave no stone unturned...

Here is an interesting World Health Map (standardised) for rates of Alzheimer's/Dementia:

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/c...ia/by-country/

There is a feature for selecting many causes of death Worldwide.

I note one very interesting area in particular. The English are a Germanic Race genetically, in the main, yet look at the incidence difference between us and the Germans/Eastern Europeans.

Another area, Eastern Mediterranean figures are lower than Western - Spain/Italy are high. Asian and Afro-Caribbean levels are low. Is this genetics, lifestyle or a combination - we need figures broken down by Ethnic background, as we have with heart disease and other issues. Only then will the picture become clearer.

Dave.

There is one thing I notice on those maps. I changed the disease and also looked at diabetes.

That link is for DEATH rates from the title disease. Not incidence of the titled disease.

Death rates are always rather fuzzy, because the cause of death may be entered differently from the DIAGNOSIS the patient has.
For example... many die from infections, and that may be listed on the death data instead of the Alzheimer's.

Here is a link about INCIDENCE of Alzheimer's in Japan....
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijad/2012/956354/

While it is difficult to read the conclusion suggests that Alzheimer's is more common now in Japan approaching US figures.
So looking at the Diabetes part of the link, shows that DEATH from diabetes in the developed countries is low... but certainly not its incidence, as we hear every day is rising.

Yes. My mom's primary cause of death was pneumonia with secondary being advanced Alzheimer's.

This stat below gives an idea on that difference with diabetes in U.S. And it seems to me, in industrialized nations you're more likely to get treatment so it wouldn't be the primary cause of death.

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

Deaths: Diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the United States in 2010, with 69,071 death certificates listing it as the underlying cause of death, and a total of 234,051 death certificates listing diabetes as an underlying or contributing cause of death.

Population data is always interesting to me but we can't really draw meaningful conclusions from it - other than perhaps we should be looking at those are the places to recruit subjects for clinical trials.

Every research has it's limitations. The Researchers for the Incidence of Alzheimer's/Dementia in Japan bemoan small sample size. I note that a large proportion of the study was done in Rural areas, that I would think would have better diet, so lower incidence. I did read the whole report, with one eye, and found the Conclusions to be little different from what is already known. What we need is a unified, Worldwide criteria for diagnosing and then collecting and collating Dementia data. With a greatly ageing population this is not going away.

Regarding Causes of Death maps, the one plus point is they are the largest sample size by far - everyone dies of something. How to improve the figures? In the days of Technological Communication, open up everyone's Medical Records for Statistical Analysis upon death. Every incident of the major ailments eventually logged. I would not think to have this done before death, exploitation by Insurance Companies, Employers and Governments would be rife. Yep - Big Brother IS watching!

Dave.

Things like this are already being done (I work in clinical research :)). Lab data is being accessed to pair people with clinical trials (I have mixed feelings about this) - but I can see this really being an asset for orphan (rare) diseases. The biggest challenge is recruitment for any given study.

Additionally, there are people whose sole job is to clinical data mine after a study has been finished and submitted to the FDA. From this we can design better studies, minimize risks, or find a new sample size and/or population for the next clinical trial.