Abstract
There is considerable evidence that type 2 diabetes and its related conditions increase the risk of dementia, although the associations are stronger for vascular dementia than Alzheimer's disease. In addition to cerebrovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and dementia share several other pathophysiologic features, including hyperinsulinemia, advanced glycation end-product, inflammation, and amyloid deposition. From a clinical perspective, evidence of a link between type 2 diabetes and dementia would suggest that currently available modalities to prevent or treat type 2 diabetes mellitus might be beneficial in preventing dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease. This review summarizes the existing evidence of a link between type 2 diabetes and dementia and the clinical trials that have investigated the effects of anti-diabetic modalities on cognitive outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus or its precursor conditions.
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