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The Diabetes Alzheimers Connection: Understanding the Link
The Diabetes Alzheimers Connection: Understanding the Link
The Diabetes Alzheimers Connection: Understanding the Link
John Mendiola
When we think about diabetes, we usually think about blood sugar, insulin, and the pancreas. When we think about Alzheimer’s disease, we think about memory and changes in the brain. So what could these two conditions possibly have in common?
As researchers learn more about how the brain uses energy and how metabolic health affects the body, an important connection between the two has emerged. Type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. However, the relationship is complex. Diabetes does not simply “cause” Alzheimer’s, and Alzheimer’s is not a form of diabetes.
It Starts with Insulin Resistance
Insulin is a hormone that helps the body regulate blood glucose. When we eat, glucose enters the bloodstream, and insulin helps direct that glucose into cells where it can be used for energy.
With insulin resistance, cells become less responsive to insulin. The pancreas may initially compensate by producing more insulin, but over time, blood glucose can rise. Persistent metabolic dysfunction can affect much more than blood sugar itself, including blood vessels, inflammation, and cellular energy production.
And this matters to the brain because the brain has an enormous demand for energy.
What Does Blood Sugar Have to Do with the Brain?
The brain relies heavily on glucose for energy, and insulin also has important signaling functions in the brain. Researchers have found evidence of changes in insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists are studying several possible mechanisms that may connect metabolic dysfunction with changes in the brain. These include insulin resistance, impaired glucose metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and vascular damage. These processes can affect the health and function of neurons and the connections between them.
Importantly, these are overlapping mechanisms being studied by researchers, not proof that one specific metabolic problem directly causes Alzheimer’s disease.
Research has also found associations between higher blood glucose and future Alzheimer’s risk. An analysis supported by the National Institute on Aging found that higher blood glucose during middle adulthood was associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. This is one reason researchers are interested in metabolic health well before older age.
So, is Alzheimer’s really “Type 3 diabetes”?
You may have heard Alzheimer’s disease referred to as “Type 3 diabetes.” This term has gained attention because of research showing similarities between insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and impaired insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in the brain.
Researchers studying these shared mechanisms proposed the term, including the effects of insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and altered cellular energy metabolism.
However, “Type 3 diabetes” is not an official medical diagnosis or a recognized third type of diabetes. Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes remain separate conditions with their own diagnostic criteria and characteristics. The term is best understood as a research concept describing metabolic similarities between the diseases, not as a literal diagnosis of diabetes in the brain.
Where Do Comorbidities Come In?
This is where the relationship becomes even more interesting.
People with type 2 diabetes may also have other conditions such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, obesity, cardiovascular disease, or metabolic syndrome. These conditions can occur together and may share underlying factors such as insulin resistance, inflammation, and vascular dysfunction.
Those same cardiovascular and metabolic conditions are also associated with increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. For example, high blood pressure and diabetes can damage blood vessels, potentially reducing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to brain tissue. Vascular problems may also interfere with the blood-brain barrier and the brain’s ability to maintain a healthy environment.
This is why it is more accurate to think of diabetes and Alzheimer’s as part of a complex network of metabolic, vascular, and inflammatory factors rather than a simple “one causes the other” relationship.
The Bigger Picture
We are still learning exactly how these processes interact and which mechanisms are most important. But the research reinforces something we already know from a broader health perspective: metabolic health, cardiovascular health and brain health are closely connected.
Managing blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, staying physically active, eating a nutrient-dense diet and addressing other cardiovascular risk factors are important for overall health. They may also support healthy brain aging, although no lifestyle approach can guarantee prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
Interested In Supporting Your Metabolic Health?
Our team at the Center for Natural Medicine can help you explore nutrition and lifestyle strategies that support healthy blood sugar regulation and overall wellness.
References
Alzheimer’s Association. (2026). 2026 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. https://www.alz.org/getmedia/ef8f48f9-ad36-48ea-87f9-b74034635c1e/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
Kandimalla, R., Thirumala, V., & Reddy, P. H. (2017). Is Alzheimer’s disease a Type 3 diabetes? A critical appraisal. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease, 1863(5), 1078–1089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.08.018
National Institute on Aging. (2022, August 18). Midlife cholesterol and blood sugar levels may be risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/midlife-cholesterol-and-blood-sugar-levels-may-be-risk-factors-alzheimers-disease
Frequently Asked Questions
Does having diabetes mean I will develop Alzheimer’s disease?
No. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, but it does not mean that someone will develop Alzheimer’s. Age, genetics, cardiovascular health, lifestyle, and many other factors also play a role.
Is Alzheimer’s disease actually Type 3 diabetes?
No. “Type 3 diabetes” is a research term used to describe similarities involving insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in the brain. It is not an official diagnosis or classification of diabetes.
Can high blood sugar affect the brain?
Research suggests that blood glucose and metabolic health are associated with brain health. Chronic metabolic dysfunction may contribute to vascular damage, inflammation, and other processes that can affect the brain.
Can controlling diabetes prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
We cannot say that controlling diabetes will prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, managing diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors is important for overall health and may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and other complications.
Why are researchers interested in insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s?
Insulin has signaling functions in the brain beyond its role in regulating blood glucose. Researchers are investigating whether impaired insulin signaling and altered brain glucose metabolism contribute to some of the changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
When we think about diabetes, we usually think about blood sugar, insulin, and the pancreas. When we think about Alzheimer’s disease, we think about memory and changes in the brain. So what could these two conditions possibly have in common?
As researchers learn more about how the brain uses energy and how metabolic health affects the body, an important connection between the two has emerged. Type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. However, the relationship is complex. Diabetes does not simply “cause” Alzheimer’s, and Alzheimer’s is not a form of diabetes.
It Starts with Insulin Resistance
Insulin is a hormone that helps the body regulate blood glucose. When we eat, glucose enters the bloodstream, and insulin helps direct that glucose into cells where it can be used for energy.
With insulin resistance, cells become less responsive to insulin. The pancreas may initially compensate by producing more insulin, but over time, blood glucose can rise. Persistent metabolic dysfunction can affect much more than blood sugar itself, including blood vessels, inflammation, and cellular energy production.
And this matters to the brain because the brain has an enormous demand for energy.
What Does Blood Sugar Have to Do with the Brain?
The brain relies heavily on glucose for energy, and insulin also has important signaling functions in the brain. Researchers have found evidence of changes in insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists are studying several possible mechanisms that may connect metabolic dysfunction with changes in the brain. These include insulin resistance, impaired glucose metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and vascular damage. These processes can affect the health and function of neurons and the connections between them.
Importantly, these are overlapping mechanisms being studied by researchers, not proof that one specific metabolic problem directly causes Alzheimer’s disease.
Research has also found associations between higher blood glucose and future Alzheimer’s risk. An analysis supported by the National Institute on Aging found that higher blood glucose during middle adulthood was associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. This is one reason researchers are interested in metabolic health well before older age.
So, is Alzheimer’s really “Type 3 diabetes”?
You may have heard Alzheimer’s disease referred to as “Type 3 diabetes.” This term has gained attention because of research showing similarities between insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and impaired insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in the brain.
Researchers studying these shared mechanisms proposed the term, including the effects of insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and altered cellular energy metabolism.
However, “Type 3 diabetes” is not an official medical diagnosis or a recognized third type of diabetes. Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes remain separate conditions with their own diagnostic criteria and characteristics. The term is best understood as a research concept describing metabolic similarities between the diseases, not as a literal diagnosis of diabetes in the brain.
Where Do Comorbidities Come In?
This is where the relationship becomes even more interesting.
People with type 2 diabetes may also have other conditions such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, obesity, cardiovascular disease, or metabolic syndrome. These conditions can occur together and may share underlying factors such as insulin resistance, inflammation, and vascular dysfunction.
Those same cardiovascular and metabolic conditions are also associated with increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. For example, high blood pressure and diabetes can damage blood vessels, potentially reducing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to brain tissue. Vascular problems may also interfere with the blood-brain barrier and the brain’s ability to maintain a healthy environment.
This is why it is more accurate to think of diabetes and Alzheimer’s as part of a complex network of metabolic, vascular, and inflammatory factors rather than a simple “one causes the other” relationship.
The Bigger Picture
We are still learning exactly how these processes interact and which mechanisms are most important. But the research reinforces something we already know from a broader health perspective: metabolic health, cardiovascular health and brain health are closely connected.
Managing blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, staying physically active, eating a nutrient-dense diet and addressing other cardiovascular risk factors are important for overall health. They may also support healthy brain aging, although no lifestyle approach can guarantee prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
Interested In Supporting Your Metabolic Health?
Our team at the Center for Natural Medicine can help you explore nutrition and lifestyle strategies that support healthy blood sugar regulation and overall wellness.
References
Alzheimer’s Association. (2026). 2026 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. https://www.alz.org/getmedia/ef8f48f9-ad36-48ea-87f9-b74034635c1e/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
Kandimalla, R., Thirumala, V., & Reddy, P. H. (2017). Is Alzheimer’s disease a Type 3 diabetes? A critical appraisal. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease, 1863(5), 1078–1089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.08.018
National Institute on Aging. (2022, August 18). Midlife cholesterol and blood sugar levels may be risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/midlife-cholesterol-and-blood-sugar-levels-may-be-risk-factors-alzheimers-disease
Frequently Asked Questions
Does having diabetes mean I will develop Alzheimer’s disease?
No. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, but it does not mean that someone will develop Alzheimer’s. Age, genetics, cardiovascular health, lifestyle, and many other factors also play a role.
Is Alzheimer’s disease actually Type 3 diabetes?
No. “Type 3 diabetes” is a research term used to describe similarities involving insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in the brain. It is not an official diagnosis or classification of diabetes.
Can high blood sugar affect the brain?
Research suggests that blood glucose and metabolic health are associated with brain health. Chronic metabolic dysfunction may contribute to vascular damage, inflammation, and other processes that can affect the brain.
Can controlling diabetes prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
We cannot say that controlling diabetes will prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, managing diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors is important for overall health and may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and other complications.
Why are researchers interested in insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s?
Insulin has signaling functions in the brain beyond its role in regulating blood glucose. Researchers are investigating whether impaired insulin signaling and altered brain glucose metabolism contribute to some of the changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
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Connect with us to begin your healing journey today.
Experience holistic healing that restores balance and vitality.
Connect with us to begin
your healing journey today.
Experience holistic healing that restores balance and vitality.
Connect with us to begin
your healing journey today.
Experience holistic healing that restores balance and vitality.
Connect with us to begin
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Experience holistic healing that restores balance and vitality.
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