This week, we’d like to direct your attention to coverage of new research on Alzheimer disease and diabetes.
As this article in ScienceDaily reports, researchers have long noted a link between Alzheimer disease, the leading cause of dementia among older people, and diabetes. Now research from Northwestern University has built on earlier studies on the topic and shown that a toxic protein in the brains of people with Alzheimer disease removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, making these cells insulin resistant.
According to this post at Diabetes Notes by Kendra James, R.N., and another at About.com: Diabetes by Debra Manzella, R.N., the research findings are so strong that Alzheimer disease could potentially be considered “Type 3 diabetes.”
This blog entry was written by Assistant Editor Diane Fennell.
I posted my thoughts on this including the use of the # 3 back in Sept.Challenge Diabetes Post - Already more than 3 types of diabetes
Like I said back then, we need to give this a lot more thought before we race to naming the Alzheimer’s connection only to get caught in the same argument as type 1 vs type 2 whereby those with type 1 are known to want their disease to go by an entirely different name.
Posted by Kevin | Oct 25, 2007 at 4:45 pm