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Young people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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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, scientists demonstrated the presence of specific blood biomarkers that indicate early signs of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease in young people with juvenile-onset diabetes.
Preliminary data indicate that preclinical Alzheimer's disease neuropathology is present in young adults with juvenile-onset diabetes. These data suggest the potential for an early onset of the Alzheimer's disease risk trajectory in individuals 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 focus on people over 40, who are 60 to 80 percent more likely to develop dementia, possibly including Alzheimer's disease, than the same age group without diabetes.
But this study looked at the same association in a much younger age group.
The study involved about 80 people, focusing on blood biomarkers and PET scans to look for signs of neurodegenerative disease in young adults with diabetes. Some had type 1 diabetes, some had type 2 diabetes, and others did not have diabetes.
In addition to elevated Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in the blood of young people with juvenile-onset diabetes, "these individuals had increased accumulation of amyloid proteins in the areas of the brain where Alzheimer's disease occurs," Shapiro said.
The new findings are worrisome to researchers given the nation’s growing obesity problem among young people and the younger age at which people are becoming diabetic. Shapiro said about 20 percent of young adults in the U.S. are obese. Obesity contributes to diabetes and inflammation, which in turn contributes to a host of other diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
"We're entering a new world of health care because of the youth obesity epidemic," Shapiro said. "Young people are catching up with adults. We're seeing more age-related diseases in young people now."
"We're not saying these people have Alzheimer's or cognitive impairment," she said. "We're saying this is a worrying trajectory."
Alzheimer's disease is often thought of 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.