Alzheimer's is effectively Diabetes III ?

[cbelt3]

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...mentisfree&type=article

As a Type II Diabetic, this is frightening. If I lose any more brain function, I'll have to become a politician !

[Lew Zealand]

Off topic a bit, but:

"When alcoholism and drug addiction are discussed, the tone tends to be sympathetic. When obesity is discussed, the conversation is dominated by mockery and blame…"

Try mental health discussions. Obesity is joked and lampooned but mental health is practically shunned it has such a negative stereotype.

[Racer X]

Very true, and until recently, most treatments were more to make the patient easier to be around, rather than help the patient attempt to lead a normal life.

[Carnos Jax]

Interesting perspective the article introduces...wow.

[guitarist]

cbelt, you got my vote.

Can I be your Attorney General? Secretary of State?

[Blankity Blank]

cbelt3 wrote:
http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...mentisfree&type=article

As a Type II Diabetic, this is frightening. If I lose any more brain function, I'll have to become a politician !

Just time for a quick skim right now, but this seems to fly in the face of what I have long heard about plaque deposits in the brain being the culprit. The focus on obesity also seems at odds with what I've seen observing Alzheimer's sufferers in the media and in my own interactions; no greater numbers of the obese than observed generally.

I'll read the article more closely later, but my immediate reaction is somewhat skeptical, though very much interested if this is some new, fruitful avenue to explore.

[bfd]

The increased incidence of Alzheimer's in Type II diabetics is certainly worth exploring more completely. Whether it's a causal link or a more casual association, there's something there that has to be explained more completely.

What we really know about insulin as a hormone is actually very little. It's way too early to say that Alzheimer's is on the Diabetes spectrum, but it makes for sensational news - and certainly helps a few scientific grants along.

Increased inflammation at the cellular level is recognized as a factor in the development of Alzheimer's symptoms. So, explaining how that inflammation occurs and determining where it comes from - what causes it to occur - will really help the research.

The initial findings about a possible connection between food and brain function supports the need to moderate your diet - particularly when it comes to sweet and fatty foods. Unfortunately, those are exactly the kinds of foods that we seem somewhat hard-wired to seek out. (see http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-02...ience.html )

Wish that it was easier to avoid these foods. It's just not. And while some kinds of sweets are easy to say "no" to, others simply aren't.

[guitarist]

Sweet foods, and carb-rich foods, grains, flour, etc., cause insulin abnormalities (or blood sugar spikes) thankfully, fats are neutral, they do not. (diabetic diets strictly limit sugars and starches, less so with proteins and fats) Which makes sense, plant and animal fats have been in the human diet for tens of thousands of years. Processed flour and sugar are new in human history. Even in very modern human history, our sugar consumption has escalated dramatically. The amount of sugar the average American consumed in 1900 is a tiny fraction of what it became by the end of the 20th century. The link between insulin and inflammation is interesting, I've been reading about that recently myself. My father in law has diabetes, and he's seeing good results from a diet designed for diabetics. Which enables him to take less medication. It's changed my eating habits, too. Inflammation is at the source of a lot of chronic illness. First I've heard of it being linked to Alzheimer's, makes me want to explore this more.

[RgrF]

more detail here

here

and here

[Will Collier]

I'm skeptical, having had a close family member with Alzheimer's who never topped 120 lbs. in her life.