New Info. on Alzheimer's disease

I just read an article in the "New Scientist" journal about Alzheimer's disease. A diet high in calories and sugar is not just bad for your body; it could also trigger dementia. The hormone insulin is known for controlling blood sugar levels, but it also plays a major role in brain signaling. Poor sensitivity to insulin is mostly associated with type two diabetes, in which liver, fat, and muscle cells fail to respond to the hormone. But a study with rats has made some researchers wonder whether Alzheimer's could sometimes be another version of diabetes-one that hits the brain. Some have even renamed it "type 3 diabetes." People who already have type 2 diabetes may be especially at risk. 35.7% of people in the United States are obese, which puts them at a higher risk for developing Alzheimer's. There are things you can to do prevent this, however. Regular exercise has been shown to decrease the risk of by as much as forty percent. Eating healthier is especially important as well. When people regularly binge on fatty, sugary foods their insulin spikes continuously until it sticks at a higher level. Muscle, liver, and fat cells stop responding to the hormone, meaning they do not mop up glucose and fat in the blood. Because of this, the pancreas has to work extremely hard to make more insulin to control the glucose and the levels of the to molecules skyrocket. Weight gain only worsens the problem. Eighty percent of people with type 2 diabetes are also overweight or obese. Because of our addiction to fast food, type 2 diabetes is always on the rise. In the United States alone, nineteen million people have already been diagnosed with the condition, and a further seventy nine million are considered "pre-diabetic", showing some early symptoms of insulin resistance. If Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes do share similar components, levels of dementia may follow a similar pattern as we grow older. Even if a person does not develop diabetes, a poor diet may be enough to cause brain degeneration.  When you consider that obesity is a large risk factor for both diabetes and dementia, all the signs suggest that our addiction to junk food could cause trouble for our mental health in the future. On the bright side, a new nasal spray may be a possible treatment for those who already have Alzheimer's disease. This device delivers insulin deep into the nose to get to the brain more quickly. This was done in a study of one hundred four people and the glucose metabolism in their brains improved. I wish this information had been discovered while my grandma was still alive because she had Alzheimer's and this could have possibly helped her or at least have prevented it from worsening. Hopefully other people can still be helped.