Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010;20(3):711-22.
doi: 10.3233/JAD-2010-100012.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and Alzheimer's disease

Cynthia M Carlsson  1
Affiliations
Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and Alzheimer's disease

Cynthia M Carlsson. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010.

Abstract

The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing rapidly, heightening the importance of finding effective preventive therapies for this devastating disease. Midlife vascular risk factors, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), have been associated with increased risk of AD decades later and may serve as targets for AD prevention. Studies to date suggest that T2DM and hyperinsulinemia increase risk for AD, possibly through their effects on amyloid-beta metabolism and cerebrovascular dysfunction - two early findings in preclinical AD pathology. This paper reviews the evidence supporting a relationship between T2DM, hyperinsulinemia, and diabetic dyslipidemia on the development of AD, discusses DM treatment trials and their preliminary results on cognitive function, and proposes some strategies for optimizing future AD prevention trial design.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationship of Diabetes Mellitus with Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interrelationship between β-Amyloid Metabolism and Cerebrovascular Dysregulation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mucke L. Neuroscience: Alzheimer’s disease. Nature. 2009;461:895–897. - PubMed
    1. Prince M, Jackson J. [Accessed December 31, 2009.];World Alzheimer Report. http://www.alz.co.uk/research/files/World%20Alzheimer%20Report.pdf.
    1. Estimated county-level prevalence of diabetes and obesity - United States, 2007. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:1259–1263. - PubMed
    1. Kivipelto M, Helkala EL, Laakso MP, Hanninen T, Hallikainen M, Alhainen K, Iivonen S, Mannermaa A, Tuomilehto J, Nissinen A, Soininen H. Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele, elevated midlife total cholesterol level, and high midlife systolic blood pressure are independent risk factors for late-life Alzheimer disease. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:149–155. - PubMed
    1. Gustafson D, Rothenberg E, Blennow K, Steen B, Skoog I. An 18-year follow-up of overweight and risk of Alzheimer disease. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163:1524–1528. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms