Are some cases of Alzheimer's disease triggered by a form of diabetes in the brain, perhaps they are, according to researchers at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Rochester, Minnesota and Jacksonville, Florida. Recently they participated in a multi-institution clinical study testing whether a new insulin nasal spray can improve Alzheimer's symptoms.
It's an accepted fact that people with Type 2 diabetes have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease. One reason maybe due to the reduced blood flow to the brain due to damaged blood vessels. Therefore, the supply of essential nutrients to the brain is impaired.
Dr. Bu has found genetics may also be to blame. A variant of the so-called Alzheimer's gene, APOE-4 seems to interfere with the brain cells' ability to use insulin, which eventually cause the cells to starve and die. Unofficially, it is called Diabetes Type 3. What it refers to is that the brain's insulin utilization or signaling is not functioning. Their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is about 10-15 times higher.
Dr. Bu, Mayo Clinic, August 2025
For those of you with Diabetes, this stresses the need to keep your fasting blood sugar under control, 126 and your hgbA1-c, under 6.0%, 5.6% is a normal value. For those of you that are borderline with these lab values, talk to your HCP, Health Care Provider, and discuss ways to lower your labs. Consider asking for a nutritionist referral, and contacting the American Diabetic Association for more information.
Just don't ignore this, please.