Alzheimer’s disease has long been one of the mysteries of modern medicine. Still today, it is unclear exactly what causes it, but progress has been made. It is a multifactorial disease. The usual suspects like age, lifestyle, and genetics all play a role. In this post, we explore what I find to be the most interesting etiological factor: insulin resistance. In fact, this is why some are now referring to Alzheimer’s Disease as Type 3 Diabetes.
Quite a few studies have been done on this topic. In this article, I examine a review article written by Suzanne de la Monte and Jack Wands. Based on analysis of Alzheimer’s brains postmortem, examination of animal models in which brain insulin resistance was induced using the same drug that can induce type 2 diabetes in animals, and a study showing the benefit of PPAR agonists (a diabetes medication) in preventing Alzheimer’s-related neurodegeneration, they concluded that Alzheimer’s disease is, in fact, a form of insulin resistance in the brain. This insulin resistance can occur even in the absence of Type 1 or 2 diabetes. However, they were unable to conclude that insulin resistance is the only or even the most important causative factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Eleven years after their article was published, definitive answers about “Type 3 Diabetes” have not yet been found.
Despite this, I still believe that we can apply the current research on this topic to our everyday lives. We know that insulin resistance—caused primarily by a modern carbohydrate-rich insulinogenic diet—has a major role in a number of diseases. Alzheimer’s dementia can now be added to this list. Therefore, we can reduce our risk of developing Alzheimer’s through the power of lifestyle changes. The most important of these changes is shifting our diet to one that is low in starches and sugars and high in natural animal products, vegetables, and fruits. Other lifestyle modifications like improved sleep hygiene, increased weight-lifting exercise, and reduced stress can also reduce our likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s by reducing inflammation and lowering insulin resistance. More research still needs to be done in this fascinating field, but action can be taken immediately based on what we already know.
References
de la Monte SM, Wands JR. Alzheimer’s disease is type 3 diabetes-evidence reviewed. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2008;2(6):1101–1113. doi:10.1177/193229680800200619