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  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

continued:

Diabetes and Alzheimer's linked

Diabetes drugs help memory

People who keep their diabetes under tighter control tend to have better mental function. Many people who have Alzheimer's disease also have a condition called prediabetes, in which their bodies have become resistant to insulin, a hormone necessary for cells to absorb glucose.

Small studies involving inhaled insulin have shown improvements in memory and attention spans in people who have Alzheimer's disease.

Reducing your risk

If you have prediabetes, you can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half by losing as little as 5 percent of your body weight — 10 pounds for a 200-pound person — and exercising 30 minutes most days of the week.

In addition to reducing your risk of diabetes and possibly for Alzheimer's, these lifestyle changes can also help protect you from heart attacks and strokes.

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References
  1. Shadlen MF, et al. Risk factors for dementia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 19, 2008.
  2. Biessels GJ, et al. Cognition and diabetes: A lifespan perspective. Lancet Neurology. 2008;7(2):184-190. Accessed Aug. 21, 2008.
  3. Diabetes: Disabling disease to double by 2050. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/ddt.htm.
  4. Roberts RO, et al. Association of duration and severity of diabetes mellitus with mild cognitive impairment. Archives of Neurology. 2008;65(8):1066-1073.
  5. Reger MA, et al. Intranasal insulin improves cognition and modulates beta-amyloid in early AD. Neurology. 2008;70(6):440-448. Accessed Aug. 22, 2008.
  6. Diabetes overview. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/overview/index.htm. Accessed Aug. 22, 2008.

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Nov. 6, 2008

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