Researchers at Brown Univ have released a study that gives some early indication that Alzheimer patients "might" have a form of diabetes. They called it type 3. They did not declare there to be another type - only said that there 'might' be one. It is based on the way the brain in an Alzheimer's patient handles insulin differently than a non-Alzheimer's patient.

:bouncing: You know my father in law was going through this Alzheimers progression about a year ago. It was tramatic to watch my wife and all of our family struggle to understand the lack of capability of anyone to absolutely evaluate this desease and differentiate it from what we finally came to realize it was a series of very low level and frequent heart issues(possible the meds).
The starving, the confusion, the weight loss, general weakening, the hopelessness slipping away... sounded like the symptoms of untreated undiagnosed type 1 before insulin that I read about in "Discovering Insulin"(I think the title was..).** But in the gravity of the situation, I could not get anyone to look at this, and I didn't want to push, it was already too painful.... The most that we got was an occasional nurse took an occasional BG. And 70 was ok....I am still not so sure I aggree(anyone else??)...(I still think when you average close to 70mg/dl(A1c-metric equivalent that is) you are loosing weight/body mass and over 100 mg/dl(A1c-5.9) you slightly gaining wt/mass.
I asked similar Diabetes connection questions on a Alzheimers Message Board, but I don't really think non-diabetics get it....sometime even doctors or nurses...if their not diabetic themselves, "get it"(feel it understand the diabetic delima-control). I even notice I didn't get it(what diabetes really is...BG control of no control...) with my mothers 20 years of Diabetes ...until "I" was diagnosed...and now the rest of my family doesn't seem to get it...get it?

any way!! I have read a lot about Alzheimers....and I "feel" the similarities may be there ...but I probably don't really "get it" either....get it? :bouncing:

(can you give an exact reference?...thanks)

** you know I'll bet this is also siimlar to the the waisting syptom of aides,...and maybe even some level constant toxic exosure. What else?

You can put direct links on this site, so here are two quotes that have the researchers name and where they are -

"There is now increasing evidence primarily from observational studies that diabetes, its predecessor metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance are implicated in increasing risk for Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Hugh C. Hendrie. He is a professor of psychiatry and co-director of the Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders at Indiana University Center for Aging Research, in Indianapolis.
This study adds support to these biological hypotheses and has perhaps treatment implications for the use of certain types of anti-diabetes drugs that influence insulin resistance, Hendrie said.
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Nov. 2005

"Insulin disappears early and dramatically in Alzheimer's disease," senior researcher Suzanne M. de la Monte, a neuropathologist at Rhode Island Hospital and a professor of pathology at Brown University Medical School, said in a prepared statement.
"And many of the unexplained features of Alzheimer's, such as cell death and tangles in the brain, appear to be linked to abnormalities in insulin signaling. This demonstrates that the disease is most likely a neuroendocrine disorder, or another type of diabetes," she added.

I hope this helps.

Is it possible to find out what a person's insulin levels are?

Just to add something. I just read where they are finding Avanda helpful with Alzheimer's.

Can they tell your insulin levels? They can test for insulin production though I don't think they are very accurate tests as yet. I am not sure they can actually tell what your insulin levels are. Insulin changes quickly just like other hormones. Maybe someone else has a handle on the current methods and abilities on this....