Sharp increases in blood sugar following meals may increase Alzheimer’s disease risk. The corresponding study was published in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism.
"This finding could help shape future prevention strategies, highlighting the importance of managing blood sugar not just overall, but specifically after meals,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Andrew Mason of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool, in a press release.
Epidemiological studies indicate that hyperglycaemia, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance strongly correlate with worse brain health and increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. How exactly these are linked, however, remains largely unknown.
In the current study, researchers analyzed data from over 350,000 participants from the UK Biobank aged between 40 and 69 years old. Data included fasting glucose levels, insulin levels, and blood sugar two hours after eating.
Ultimately, they found that individuals with higher blood sugar levels after meals had a 69% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Analyses revealed that the increased risk could not be explained by overall brain shrinkage or white matter damage.
The researchers tried to replicate the findings using data from an Alzheimer’s dementia genome-wide association study (GWAS), but were unsuccessful. This, they wrote in their study, may have happened as the UK Biobank consists of a more general population sample, whereas individuals in the GWAS were specifically selected for dementia-related traits.
"We first need to replicate these results in other populations and ancestries to confirm the link and better understand the underlying biology. If validated, the study could pave the way for new approaches to reduce dementia risk in people with diabetes,” said senior author of the study, Dr. Vicky Garfield, of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool, in a press release.
Sources: Science Daily, Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism