A new study has found that medication used to treat type 2 diabetes patients could also reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
For the study, researchers compared how rapidly symptoms ofAlzheimer's disease and dementia developed among people with normal glucose levels, those who suffer from type 2 diabetes and those with prediabetes. The group was a mix of people being treated and not treated for this condition.
In order to study this further, the team compared the "tau pathology", which is a way of trackingAlzheimer's disease in the brain. When signals are disrupted between brain cells, it can damage certain functions in the body and impair memory.
Researchers found diabetes patients who were not treated for the condition, developed Alzheimer's 1.6 times faster than those who were receiving treatment.
"Our findings emphasize the importance of catching diabetes or other metabolic diseases in adults as early as you can," Daniel A. Nation, a psychologist at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, told a news portal. Adding, "Among people with diabetes, the difference in their rate of developing the signs of dementia and Alzheimer's is clearly tied somehow to whether or not they are on medication for it."
While the findings give a little more insight into the inner workings of this health issue, researchers still believe Alzheimer's disease is triggered by multiple issues, not just one.
"It is possible that the medicines for treating diabetes might make a difference in the progression of brain degeneration," Nation told a news portal. Adding, "But it's unclear how exactly those medications might slow or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease, so that is something we need to investigate."
The study's findings were originally published in the journal Diabetes Care.