Diabetes in Youth May Increase Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease Later in Life

Blood biomarkers present in young people with diabetes may indicate they are at higher risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) later in life, according to a new study published in Endocrines. “Preliminary evidence shows that preclinical [Alzheimer’s disease] neuropathology is present in young people with youth-onset diabetes,” lead study author Allison Shapiro, assistant professor of pediatrics and endocrinology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in a news release. “These preliminary data suggest the potential for an early-onset [Alzheimer’s disease] risk trajectory in people diagnosed with diabetes in childhood or adolescence.” According to Ms. Shapiro and her colleagues, young people with diabetes share some of the same biological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. These biomarkers include signs of neurodegeneration in the blood and levels of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. Beta-amyloid protein can build up and cause plaques in the brain, which trigger many of the classic neurodegenerative signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease....