Type 3 diabetes - the starving brain
Hi,
I have just stumbled across this thread, diabetes 3, and as I have just been learning about this, thought I would share some of what I have read:
"A third form of diabetes called type 3 has recently been recognized. This new form of diabetes links insulin resistence with neurodegeneration and most specifically with Alzheimer's disease. Type 3 diabetes combines characteristics of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The brain has an insulin decifiency like in type 1 diabetes and is insulin resistent like in type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is the primary distinguishing feature.
[....] Insulin does a lot more than regulate blood sugar. Insulin plays a role in normal cognitive function. Dysregulation of insulin increases risk for cognitive impairment, Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies confirm that diabetes leads to a significant cognitive decline and increases the risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by up to 150%.
All of the major neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Lewy's and ALS) display a marked decline in energy metabolism leading to cell death and loss of brain volume. Any disturbance in normal insulin function can dramatically affect energy metabilism and consequently brain function. In that sense, they might all be viewed as various manifestations of type 3 diabetes." [pages 59, 60 Stop Alzhiemer's Now: Fife]
Here is the theory:
"Medical researchers at Brown Medical School first reported on this novel third form of "brain diabetes" in 2005, after discovering that insulin and its related proteins are reduced in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients. The term "type 3 diabetes" was coined by Dr Suzanne de la Monte, a neuropathologist and lead researcher of the group. [...]
Brain insulin resistance and Alzheimer's disease appear to be strongly influenced by whole body insulin resistance. The details have yet to be worked out, but in a nutshell, here is the general theory. As a person develops insulin resistance, insulin levels in the blood rise. Since insulin in the brain comes primarily from the pancreas and is delivered to the brain by way of the bloodstream, you might expect brain insulin levels in the brain to rise as well. This is not the case. When insulin in the bloodstream rises, insulin levels in the brain actually fall, dipping to below normal. High blood insulin leads to low brain insulin. The primary reason for this is that insulin resistance causes the blood-brain barrier to become resistant to insulin. With less insulin getting to the brain, less glucose is able to enter the neurons and power brain cell functions. Neurons deprived of nourishment begin to starve, degenerate, and die." [Fife page 66-67]
There is a whole lot more, but obviously I cannot quote it all. Hope this helps.
I am starting to display the typical type 2 'thick around the middle' body shape, no signs of diabetes in blood tests, but it is my primary focus now to use dietary means to minimise insulin resistance.
Somewhere there is a passage about a 'starving brain' and I am currently searching for it. Mum started to crave sugar, buns, cakes - things she never even touched before. My Dad wanted 5 spoons of sugar in his tea post a big stroke. My brother had a burst aneurysm in January, he hates all things sweet, but on waking up from his op asked for jelly and icecream, and has since developed a sweet tooth, so friends bring him winegums and Mars bars - a total turnaround for him. Is his brain starving?
Interested in your experiences. All the best, BE
Disclaimer: Note these views are based on my own experience in caring for Mum who has advanced Alzheimer's. It comes from research I have undertaken as I grew increasingly desperate to find a way to stem the loss of cognitive capacity in Mum. This does not constitute medical or professional advice, and those who are interested in the insulin-dementia link should conduct their own research.