Los Angeles: A study has found that patients with untreated diabetes develop signs of Alzheimers disease 1.6 times faster as compared to those without the disease. The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, revealed that treatment for type 2 diabetes may keep Alzheimers disease away.

Daniel A Nation, a psychologist at University of Southern California, said that the findings highlight the significance of diagnosing diabetes or other metabolic diseases in adults as early as possible. Nation added that among people with diabetes, the difference in their rate of developing the signs of dementia and Alzheimers is linked with whether or not they are undergoing treatment.

The study may be the first to compare the rate of developing Alzheimers disease and dementia among people with normal glucose levels, with pre-diabetes, or people with type 2 diabetes, both treated and untreated.

Investigators compared tau pathology - the progression of brain tangles that are the hallmark of Alzheimers disease. As the tangles combine with beta-amyloid plaques, signals between brain cells are disrupted, thus impairing memory and other functions. Data collected by the Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Initiative on 1,289 people aged >55 were analyzed.

Among 900 patients, 54 had type 2 diabetes but were not being treated, while 67 were undergoing treatment. Most people in the study (n=530) had normal blood sugar levels while 250 had prediabetes (hyperglycemia).

Among the different patient categories, researchers compared the brain and spinal fluid test results that could indicate signs of amyloid plaques and the brain tangles.

Nation said that it is possible that medicines for treating diabetes might affect the progression of brain degeneration. The mechanism; however, remains to be understood. (PTI)