Young people with diabetes are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Young people with diabetes may have a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life, according to a new study by researchers at the Center for the Epidemiology of Obesity and Diabetes (LEAD) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

In a study published this week in the journal Endocrines, the researchers demonstrated the presence of specific blood biomarkers that indicate early signs of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease in young adults with juvenile-onset diabetes.

Preliminary data suggest that preclinical Alzheimer's disease neuropathology is present in young adults with juvenile-onset diabetes. These findings suggest the potential for an early onset of Alzheimer's disease risk trajectory in people diagnosed with diabetes in childhood or adolescence.

This applies to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Most studies examining the link between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes have focused on people over 40, who are 60-80% more likely to develop dementia, possibly including Alzheimer's disease, compared with the same age group without diabetes.

But this study looked at the same association in a much younger age group.

The study included about 80 people, focusing on blood biomarkers and PET scans to look for signs of neurodegenerative disease in young adults with diabetes. Some of them had type 1 diabetes, some had type 2 diabetes, and others did not have diabetes.

In addition to elevated biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease in the blood of young people with youth-onset diabetes, "these individuals had increased accumulation of amyloid proteins in areas of the brain where Alzheimer's disease occurs," Shapiro said.

These new findings are concerning for researchers given the growing problem of obesity among the nation's youth and the earlier age at which people become diabetic. Shapiro said about 20% of young people in the United States are obese. Obesity contributes to the development of diabetes and inflammation, which in turn cause many other diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.

"We are entering a new world of health care because of the youth obesity epidemic," Shapiro said. "Young people are catching up with adults. We are now seeing more age-related diseases among young people."

"We're not saying these people have Alzheimer's disease or cognitive impairment," she said. "We say this trajectory is concerning."

Alzheimer's disease is often viewed as a late-life disease, but this study shows that early life factors may play a significant role in the development of the neurodegenerative disease, Shapiro said.