Researchers are beginning to refer to Alzheimer’s disease as another form of diabetes – type 3 diabetes, because of an emerging understanding of how insulin is linked to the development of this debilitating neurological illness. It seems that brain insulin resistance and inflammation are significant markers of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The Role of Insulin
Insulin is an important chemical that helps the body metabolize glucose in the body. However, it also helps the body metabolize fats as they travel throughout the body, including the brain. When a person’s brain develops insulin resistance, it becomes unable to metabolize fats or lipids. The result is these fats build up, resulting in nerve stress and inflammation. These are common factors associated with the development of diabetes. They are also associated with developing dementia, a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers suggest that one approach to preventing the development of Alzheimer’s should be to restore insulin responsiveness and insulin depletion for patients. Researchers at the Rhode Island Hospital have published a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease suggesting that the inflammation and brain stress found in patients with insulin resistance leads to metabolic dysfunction which results in the brain producing toxins to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Another factor that researchers have found contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s is the use of statin medications to control cholesterol levels. Chronic inflammation associated with diabetes and other immune system disorders prevents the body from correctly metabolizing healthy fats. However, the use of statin medications makes the problem worse. Instead of addressing the problem of inflammation, it stops the body from absorbing needed cholesterol for health functioning. It is exactly this cholesterol that is needed by the brain to prevent Alzheimer’s from developing.
Eating a diet low in high glycemic carbohydrate foods and rich in healthy fats can be an excellent method of preventing Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Eat foods such as whole grain products, nuts, avocados and eggs to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and lower blood sugar. If your doctor recommends statin medications to control cholesterol, talk to her or him about non-pharmaceutical alternatives.
– The Alternative Daily
