Alzheimer's disease and diabetes

'This is an important link, which adds to past research and shows that people with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

It is interesting to see that those with very poor blood sugar control are at most risk of developing dementia. This reinforces the need for top quality medical care for people with diabetes and for those with dementia.

Diabetes along with other conditions such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, are well-recognised risk factors for Alzheimer's. As we get older, eating a healthy diet including fresh fruit and vegetables, getting our blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol checked regularly, taking exercise and watching our weight may all turn out to be important ways of reducing our risk of developing dementia in later life.

Further work to determine the mechanism linking diabetes to Alzheimer's disease will be important for people with diabetes, but may also give new insights to some of the processes that are important in the evolution of Alzheimer's disease more generally.'

Professor Clive Ballard
Director of Research