Is Alzheimer’s Really Type 3 Diabetes?
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, but scientists are making headway on a number of theories about its cause, one being a link to diabetes. Though scientists have presented many theories about Alzheimer’s disease, the true cause of the condition remains elusive. One by one, theories have failed to earn a consensus. But a promising new hypothesis has emerged in recent years: a link to diabetes. It’s one that seems to be supported by a growing amount of clinical evidence. A New Theory About Alzheimer’s and Type 3 Diabetes This new and promising theory suggests there is a connection between a third type of diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Though the link to diabetes remains a bit tenuous, experimental evidence does seem to connect Type 2 Diabetes to the progressive cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease. We hope to give you a better idea of what this connection might be and to remind the families affected by Alzheimer’s that scientists are inching ever closer to understanding this terrible disease. Even if this theory doesn’t prove to be definitive, it still suggests progress. Understanding the Potential Link between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s The role insulin plays in the body is the key to understanding the relationship between Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Produced in the pancreas, insulin signals the cells in your body to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. In a non-diabetic person, proper amounts of glucose are absorbed into the cells. But both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes interfere with this absorption of glucose, resulting in a variety of uncomfortable and dangerous symptoms. Type 1 Diabetes is congenital and destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas, while Type 2 is acquired and prevents cells from absorbing g Continue reading >>
Type 3 Diabetes: An Alias For Alzheimer's Disease?
Dr. Shivam Patel has graduated from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. He is a PGY1 Pharmacy Resident at Martinsburg VA Medical Center. His professional interests include critical care, infectious disease, and ambulatory care. After completion of his PGY1 residency, Dr. Patel hopes to continue to serve veterans and become a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. When you see the term “type 3 diabetes,” one may think it’s simply another type or form of diabetes. This is at least what I thought when Dr. Ronald Peterman, a clinical pharmacy specialist, initially introduced me to this topic. I would have never thought that type 3 diabetes was an alias for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Impaired insulin and insulin growth factor (IGF) production seems to play a role in the development of AD. Just like there are insulin genes being expressed in our pancreas, an insulin gene is also expressed in the adult human brain.1 Appropriately controlling blood glucose may not only prevent diabetic complications such as neuropathy, but could also potentially reduce enhancing patient progression to AD. A study showed that type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glucose occur significantly more frequently in patients with AD than in patients that did not have AD.1 People that have insulin resistance, in particular those with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of suffering from Alzheimer's disease estimated to be between 50% and 65% higher.2 A patient with diabetes may be at an increased risk of developing AD, but no direct causation has been found. It was found that diffuse and neuritic plaques were similarly abundant in the brains of patients with type 2 diabetes and no type 2 diabetes.1 Neurofibrillary tangles, common charact Continue reading >>
Paleo And Alzheimer’s: All About “type 3 Diabetes”
You might have heard Alzheimer’s disease described as “Type 3 Diabetes,” implying that it’s another “disease of civilization,” a consequence of the modern diet and lifestyle more than anything else. The “Diabetes” label in particular makes it seem like Alzheimer’s is all about the carbs. But it’s actually more complicated than that (isn’t it always?). Alzheimer’s Disease probably does have something to do with dietary carbs, but it’s much more complicated than “insulin wrecks your brain.” And it also has connections to other parts of the modern diet, especially overload of Omega-6 fats. So here’s a look at Alzheimer’s from a Paleo perspective, focusing on the potential role of diet in long-term prevention and therapy. This post is not an explanation of how to “cure” Alzheimer’s Disease, or even what causes it, and if you meet anyone trying to tell you either of those things, they’re probably lying. It’s just a look at some possible connections between diet and Alzheimer’s What Is Alzheimer’s Disease? Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive, age-related brain disease that starts off by causing forgetfulness and confusion and progresses to more serious problems like mood, language, and behavioral issues. A few people get it earlier, but it’s primarily found in people in their 60s and up. Alzheimer’s isn’t just an extension of normal age-related forgetfulness, though. In Alzheimer’s Disease, neurons in the brain actually die – this doesn’t happen in normal aging, even though most people’s brains do shrink a little bit with age. In most cases of Alzheimer’s, nobody’s really sure what causes it – we can identify hallmark signs of the disease (amyloid-beta plaques and tangled proteins) and certain genes that m Continue reading >>
Type 3 Diabetes
Type 3 diabetes is a proposed term for Alzheimer's disease resulting in an insulin resistance in the brain. The categorization is not embraced by the medical community, though a limited number of published reviews have forwarded putative mechanisms linking Alzheimer's and insulin resistance.[1][2][3][4] The term has been widely applied within alternative healthcare circles. Other instances of the term: Type 3c (Pancreatogenic) Diabetes is a form of diabetes that relates to the exocrine and digestive functions of the pancreas.[5] See also[edit] Diabetes mellitus#Classification [edit] Continue reading >>
How Valid Is It To Describe Alzheimer's As Type 3 Diabetes?
Pretty valid - at least if you read what people who study such things and get peer reviewed papers published have to say. I’m a lawyer so I’m going to put this into a lawyer scenario. The crime is too much insulin or hyperinsulemia. The perpetrator and the source of evil is the modern diet. Too much insulin leads to lots of things but it eventually leads to insulin resistance in the body. Over time, insulin resistance can lead to glucose staying in the blood and type 2 diabetes. The failure of the CSI people, is that they are not diagnosing too much insulin like they should. Many people get to old age without keeping glucose in their blood. So, they’re not “diabetic.” The problem is that they’ve had years and years (and years and years) of too much insulin in their bodies. So, if you’re worried about you, or Grandma, or whoever, look at the diet. If Grandma loves drinking Coca-cola try to convince her that maybe she shouldn’t. Same thing for anything with sugar or processed carbohydrate. Modern folks need to eliminate those things from our diets. Continue reading >>
What Is Type 3 Diabetes?
At first blush, it may be hard to imagine a connection between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. But it’s real—and it’s so strong that some experts are now referring to it as type 3 diabetes or brain diabetes. By any name, it’s the progression from type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia marked by memory deficits and a dramatic decline in cognitive function. While all people with diabetes have a 60 percent increased risk of developing any type of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, recent research suggests that women with type 2 diabetes have a 19 percent greater risk of a certain type, known as vascular dementia (which is caused by problems with blood supply to the brain) than men do. Overall, older adults with type 2 diabetes suffer from greater declines in working memory and executive functioning (a set of mental processes that involve planning, organization, controlling attention, and flexible thinking) than their peers do. Granted, not everyone who has type 2 diabetes will develop Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, or any other form of dementia, and there are many people who have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia who don’t have diabetes, notes Gary Small, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute and author of The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program. But the reality is, “these risk factors tend to add up: If you have diabetes, that doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. If you have a first-degree relative—a parent or sibling, for example—with Alzheimer’s, that doubles your risk.” And if you have poorly controlled blood pressure, abdominal (a.k.a., central) obesity, or sleep apnea, your risk of developing dementia is increased even more. Surprisin Continue reading >>
Type 3 Diabetes Symptoms
Why is Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) sometimes called “Type 3 diabetes?” What are the symptoms, and how can it be prevented? Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease. People who have this condition gradually lose memory and mental focus. They may have emotional and behavioral changes that put a great load on their families. The course of Alzheimer’s disease varies dramatically. Some people become severely disabled and die from it. Others may experience only a mild slowing of brain function. What causes Type 3 diabetes? How might diabetes cause Alzheimer’s symptoms? Gary Small, MD, a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and author of The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program said that high blood sugars cause inflammation throughout the body and brain. Chronic inflammation has been linked with two brain changes typical of Alzheimer’s disease. In Alzheimer’s, clumps of protein called beta-amyloid plaques form between the brain cells and may block communication. Researchers have discovered that many people with Type 2 diabetes have beta-amyloid deposits in their pancreas like the ones found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Tau tangles are twisted-up proteins that form within nerve cells of people with Alzheimer’s, interfering with cell function. We don’t know what causes this nerve damage, but studies done at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania indicate that insulin resistance, the core of Type 2 diabetes, is a big part of it. Insulin resistance may deprive brain cells of glucose they need to function, causing damage. On Verywell.com, health writer Esther Heerema, MSW, said, “The brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease who did not have diabetes showed many of the same abnormal Continue reading >>
Why Alzheimer's Disease Is Called Type 3 Diabetes
Alzheimer's disease is a type of progressive dementia that affects more than 5 million Americans, and those rates are projected to increase dramatically over the next several years. One link to Alzheimer's disease that researchers are exploring is diabetes. There have been several studies that have connected the two diseases together. In fact, some researchers have begun to call Alzheimer's disease "type 3 diabetes." Although a small amount of research found an increased risk of dementia with type 1 diabetes, the vast majority of studies have concluded that this link between diabetes and Alzheimer's is specific to type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes develops when insulin becomes less efficient at processing sugar through the bloodstream. Studies show that approximately half of people with type 2 diabetes will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease. With such a strong connection, the focus of some research studies is to explain the connection between the two disease. Type 3 Diabetes In type 1 or 2 diabetes, not enough insulin (or none at all) is produced to process glucose (sugar) correctly or the body no longer responds to insulin, and it affects the functioning on the whole body. In Alzheimer's disease, it appears that a similar problem is occurring, but instead of causing problems in the entire body's functioning, the effects occur in the brain. Researchers found interesting evidence of this when they studied people's brains after their death. They noted that the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease who did not have type 1 or type 2 diabetes showed many of the same abnormalities of those with diabetes, including reduced levels of insulin in the brain. This led researchers to conclude that perhaps Alzheimer's is a brain-specific type of diabetes which they termed "type Continue reading >>
The 'double' Whammy: What Is Type 3 Diabetes?
Being diagnosed with diabetes by your physician is enough of a shocker. Now, some patients are learning that not only do they suffer from one type of diabetes, but two types simultaneously. Indeed, type 3 diabetes – also known as hybrid or double diabetes – is a new and dangerous phenomenon that has many health officials deeply concerned. As we enter National Diabetes Month, learn the signs and symptoms of diabetes as well as how to help loved ones with this disease. What is type 3 diabetes, and how can you prevent it? Read on, and don't forget to take the quiz to test your sugar IQ... There's a new public health threat, and it means business. The phenomenon is known as “double diabetes” or “hybrid diabetes,” and it’s harder to diagnose and significantly more difficult to treat. This new breed of disease is also sometimes referred to as "diabetes 1-1/2 ," or type 3 diabetes. What has been called double diabetes can strike at any age. According to recent reports, physicians are seeing increasing numbers of patients with double diabetes, in which an individual has the symptoms of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Treatment is especially difficult in children. Type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes, which affects 5% of all diabetics, happens when the body's immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. When the body cannot turn blood sugar, or glucose, into energy – either because it does not produce enough insulin or does not use it correctly – diabetes will result. Although it was previously thought that type 1 diabetes only occurs in children, it is now known that it also can develop in adults. However, type 1 is still the rarest form. The majority of diabetics nationwide suffer from type 2, which occurs when the body becomes unable t Continue reading >>
Alzheimer’s = Type 3 Diabetes
“My parents are getting older and I want to do everything I can to help them prevent Alzheimer’s, considering both my grandmothers had this disease, and I am worried about getting it too.” writes this week’s house call. “What can we do to prevent dementia?” The truth is, dementia is a very big problem that’s becoming bigger every day. Statistics are grim. 10 percent of 65-year-olds, 25 percent of 75-year-olds, and 50 percent of 85-year-olds will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. And the fastest growing segment of our population is the 85-year-olds. Researchers predict Alzheimer’s will affect 106 million people by 2050. It’s now the seventh leading cause of death. Scientists now call Alzheimer’s disease “Type 3 diabetes.” What’s the link between Alzheimer’s and diabetes? Well, new research shows insulin resistance, or what I call diabesity (from eating too many carbs and sugar and not enough fat) is one of the major factors that starts the brain-damage cascade, which robs the memory of over half the people in their 80s, leading to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. But don’t think too much insulin affects only older folks’ memories. It doesn’t just suddenly occur once you’re older. Dementia actually begins when you’re younger and takes decades to develop and worsen. Here’s the bad news/good news. Eating sugar and refined carbs can cause pre-dementia and dementia. But cutting out the sugar and refined carbs and adding lots of fat can prevent, and even reverse, pre-dementia and early dementia. More recent studies show people with diabetes have a four-fold risk for developing Alzheimer’s. People with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome have an increased risk for having pre-dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). You Continue reading >>
What Is Insulin Resistance?
IInsulin resistance — also known as syndrome X — happens when your body can no longer use insulin effectively to manage the amount of sugar you’re taking in from carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and cookies. Here’s what happens: 1. Simple carbs are broken down by your digestive system into sugar, or glucose. 2. Your body releases insulin to signal your cells to take in glucose from carbs. 3. If you eat too many simple carbs, you take in more sugar than your body needs, which leads to excess amounts of glucose. 4. Your body then churns out more and more insulin as it tries to get the glucose out of your blood and into your cells. 5. Soon, you produce too much insulin and your cells stop responding to it — now you are insulin resistant. 6. You will notice symptoms of insulin resistance such as obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol but you may not connect them to the real root of the problem. If this pattern continues, your insulin resistance will put you on the path to prediabetes, followed by type 2 diabetes and all the other health issues that go along with it. Insulin resistance in women Insulin resistance is extremely common though many women are still shocked to learn they already have it, or even prediabetes. Experts estimate that more than 80 million of us already have insulin resistance though we believe the percentage is much higher among perimenopausal women. Since insulin is one of the “major” hormones, it affects other “minor” hormones and how they behave. When insulin is imbalanced, it impossible for your body to balance its minor hormones, including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, until healthy insulin metabolism is restored. So if you have hot flashes and other perimenopause symptoms, and you are insulin resistant Continue reading >>
Type 3 Diabetes: The Alarming Link Between Alzheimer’s And Diet
If you haven’t heard of it, type 3 diabetes is what many specialists are now calling Alzheimer’s disease. The name covers the belief that Alzheimer’s results from insulin resistance of the brain. Alzheimer’s is a cruel, degenerative condition that devastates millions of lives around the world. And unfortunately, it’s only increasing in prevalence; as of 2016, 1 in 9 people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s. Surprisingly, the number of individuals aged 65 and over with the condition is expected to triple by the year 2050 (1). Could abnormal blood glucose regulation play a role? This article takes a look at the metabolic theory of type 3 diabetes, and how we might be able to prevent (or potentially halt) the condition. What is Type 3 Diabetes? Type 3 diabetes—or Alzheimer’s disease—is a chronic condition in which brain neurons slowly degenerate and die (2, 3). As a result, we see progressive memory loss and rapid declines in cognitive ability (4). I’ve personally seen the terrible effects of Alzheimer’s. As a young boy, I remember seeing my great grandfather hospitalized with late-stage Alzheimer’s. And then from the start of my late teenage years, I saw my granddad—a strong, well-built man—slowly succumb to the disease. Sadly, the condition can hit anyone. Someone being physically fit or having an intelligent mind is not relevant; the disease doesn’t discriminate, and it takes no prisoners. A Cruel Condition Experiencing a slow deterioration, patients eventually lose the ability to interact with their environment, communicate, and even remember their family. Ultimately, Alzheimer’s disease is fatal, and patients usually die from a resulting complication such as pneumonia (5). Worse still, it’s not only the patient that suffers. Alzheim Continue reading >>
Is Alzheimer’s Disease Type 3 Diabetes?
For decades, the progressive damage to brain cells and the connections between them that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease has been associated with abnormalities in two brain proteins: clumps of the protein fragment beta-amyloid into plaques and twisted strands of the protein tau into tangles. Over the past decade, scientists have been getting closer to a better understanding of why the brain develops these hallmark changes. Among the contributing causes, as reviewed in a recently released online article May 2016 in the journal Physiology & Behavior is accumulating evidence that Alzheimer’s disease is a metabolic disease—a disease of how the brain responds to insulin, utilizes glucose, and metabolizes energy. Alzheimer’s disease may be a form of diabetes of the brain. Why Type 3 diabetes? The brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease show both insulin resistance—the primary problem in type 2 diabetes, and insulin deficiency—the primary problem in type 1 diabetes. In order to account for both types of insulin abnormalities, and their parallel biochemical effects in the brain, Dr. Suzanne de la Monte, a Brown University researcher, coined the term Type 3 diabetes. Studies have shown that even very early in Alzheimer’s disease, either prior to or coincident with memory changes, the brain loses its ability to metabolize sugar efficiently. For the brain, which relies on glucose as its primary fuel, a drop in glucose can be detrimental. Insulin is equally important because it helps the brain uptake glucose from blood, and metabolize it for energy. If a brain becomes insulin resistant, its ability to uptake and utilize glucose becomes impaired. Put simply, the brain “starves.” Downstream, a cascade of events occurs. Starvation causes oxidative stress, which i Continue reading >>
What Is Type 3 Diabetes ?
It was found that the brain produces insulin. Yes, the brain really produces insulin. This brain insulin is not affected by the level of glucose in the blood as in type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. However with type3 diabetes the brain produces lower than normal levels of brain insulin. If the brain cells are deprived of insulin they eventually die causing memory loss and other degenerative diseases. This new type of diabetes also strengthens scientists’ belief that people with diabetes have an increased risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease by up to 65%. Alzheimer is a degenerative brain disorder. Discovered by Dr Suzanne de la Monte You are about to leave ResearchGate. Click to proceed to: Continue reading >>
Alzheimer’s: Type 3 Diabetes?
The idea that Alzheimer’s is a type of diabetes (say, Type 3) has been circulating since 2005 and now, thanks to a story in New Scientist (“Food for Thought: What You Eat May Be Killing Your Brain”), the connection between poor diet and Alzheimer’s is becoming more convincing. Mainstream health advocates are finally beginning to understand what health nuts have known for a long time, that processed and junk food is a fast track toward dis-ease. There are two types of diabetes: the type you’re born with (Type 1) and the type you “get,” Type 2. For years it was referred to as “adult onset diabetes” until children started getting it (Type 2 is brought about by a host of factors of which one is overeating like we do in #Merica). But, to critically look at the potentiality of Type 3 Diabetes, we need to understand how insulin works in the body, so here’s a brief lesson from the article: “We all need insulin: in non-diabetics, it’s released to help cells take in the blood sugar (glucose) they need for energy. But the cells can hold only so much; excess sugar is first stored as glycogen, and — when there’s enough of that — as fat. (Blood sugar doesn’t come only from sugar, but from carbohydrates of all kinds; easily digested carbohydrates flood the bloodstream with sugar.) Insulin not only keeps the blood vessels that supply the brain healthy, it also encourages the brain’s neurons to absorb glucose, and allows those neurons to change and become stronger. Low insulin levels in the brain mean reduced brain function. Type 1 diabetes, in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, accounts for about 10 percent of all cases. Type 2 diabetes is chronic or environmental, and it’s especially prevalent in populations th Continue reading >>
