Another Dodged Bullet?

Here's an article about a study that links obesity-related insulin resistance to Alzheimer's: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165123,00.html My mother, who was SMO most of her adult life, developed Alzheimer's at a relatively young age (early 60s) and is quite advanced now (still not even 70--she progressed very quickly). She has finally lost a great deal of weight now that she doesn't prepare her own food and has lost her appetite (helps explain in part why we never see obese old people). She has always been insulin resistant because of her weight but never became full-blown diabetic. I had WLS because of my parents' and grandparents' obesity-related illnesses, disabilities, and deaths. I saw the road map in front of me, and it included diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, lost limbs, wheel chairs, daily pain, and more. I feel that these are all bullets I have dodged (at least for the foreseeable future) because of my WLS. I am not surprised at all that my mother's early and rapidly-progressing Alzheimer's might be due to her lifelong obesity. I hope that I have dodged that bullet as well! ---- Leslie

Leslie, I'm not sure how much of that I buy. I worked in a nursing home for many years before I went back to school and saw more thin people than obese with Alzheimer's. Might just be coincidence. There may be something to it, though, because everything I've read points to nutrition in some way, shape, or form, but I'm not on the bandwagon yet. They still don't yet know what causes the proteins to misfold, or why some make the plaques and others don't. Until they have a firm answer on that, there's no way to conculsively say that obesity is part of the cause. Linn (MS biochemist)

I agree that the studies don't seem to be definitive. But I do definitely buy the possibility. The study doesn't say that all Alzheimer's patients are or were obese, just that obesity (specifically obesity-related insulin resistance) might be a contributor to some people developing Alzheimer's. As for most Alzheimer's patients being thin, I believe that as well. For one thing, my mom has lost most of her excess weight now and it would not be apparent to most people that she spent most of her life well above 300 lbs. For another thing, insulin resistance is not limited to overweight people; so if it is a risk factor for Alzheimer's, it would be a risk factor to people of all weights who have IR. We just know that insulin resistance is a common result of morbid obesity, so it would seem to be an increased risk for MO people. Anyway, like I said, I wouldn't be surprised at all if IR is a factor in some Alzheimer's cases and I do hope that I've decreased my chances of developing it myself. I know that early-onset Alzheimer's is more likely to have a genetic predisposition than later-onset types, so it's definitely a concern of mine. Thanks so much for your input, Linn! ---- Leslie