Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Risk

Diabetes may be linked to the buildup of tangles or tau in the brain, separate from Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the online version of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

“Evidence shows that people with type 2 diabetes have double the risk of developing dementia,” said study author Velandai Srikanth, MD, PhD, from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

The study involved 816 people with an average age of about 74. Of those, 397 had mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to dementia, 191 had Alzheimer’s disease dementia and 228 people had no memory and thinking problems. A total of 124 of the participants had diabetes.